Silk and Stone
by Volpone
Summary: Botan is such a sweet and bubbly girl -- not to mention cute as a button! It's so hard to pick just one Botan coupling... So let's pair her with everyone! Collection of Botan/X one shots. NEW CHAPTER UP! YoukoXBotan, lemon flavored. Yum, yum...
1. Silk and Stone YoukoBotan

Hiiii! I've decided that I want to compile some one-shots that have been cluttering up my brain. I don't really have the drive to work on my chapter stories at the moment (though they WILL be finished, I swear!) and I can write one-shots that may or may not be added to without feeling too much guilt. So I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I love writing them! Up first, of course, will be a Youko/Botan piece, since this couple is obviously my favorite. I have plans for other pairings, though. I think up next will be a Hiei/Botan.

* * *

**Silk and Stone**

_Youko x Botan_

Botan was many things – dutiful, loyal, and cheerful were only a few of the qualities that made up the blue-haired deity. She was also a very positive thinker, which came in handy in certain situations.

Like right now. Because being alone with a silent golden-eyed fox demon – especially one who was an infamous kleptomaniac well known for merciless slaughter with the aid of his man-eating makai plants – was enough to put most people on edge (or send them scurrying quickly away, bug-eyed with fear).

But of course, Botan was_ not _most people. Was she nervous? Certainly. Frightened? Very. But she refused to run screaming from the room. Besides, Kurama was still inside the youakai, somewhere, and she didn't want the red-head to think less of her if she showed fear in front of his other half.

And... well... she rather didn't want the demon to think less of her either. So, she did her best to keep a cheerful smile on her face and pretend that the sullen glares the youkai sent her way didn't bother her in the least.

Of course, she couldn't control her heartbeat, and her pulse was absolutely racing from nervous fear. Having been around demons for most of her existence, Botan knew the fox could certainly hear the frantic palpitations in her chest.

From the seat opposite her, the gorgeous fox demon pulled his sensuous lips back to sneer in her direction.

This is where positive thinking became useful! Instead of focusing on all the horrible things he had done, like, like... Hiring an assassin to kill one of his best friends... killing hundreds of _other_ people... robbing innocent youkai blind... using his Death Plant to gobble people up – Botan gulped nervously. Oh, dear, this wasn't going so well.

Wait! She had it! _Ears_!

The demon had the _cutest _ears she had ever seen. They were sleek white fox ears, perched at the top of his head, and they swiveled around whenever he heard a sound that interested him. They were _adorable_! She was squealing with girlish glee (on the inside, of course) over the absolute _cuteness_.

Someone with ears like that couldn't be _that _bad.

Come to think of it, someone with a big fluffy tail – like the one that was wagging lazily behind him – had to have a sweet side!

... His tail looked really soft. And fuzzy. And, um, _soft_. Like it might even be softer than his hair. Not that she knew what his hair felt like, of course (He would kill her if she touched it! Wouldn't he?), but it fell in shimmering silver cascades over his shoulders and down his back and each strand looked to be finer than a thread of silk.

Yes, she waxing poetic about a maniacal youkai's hair, but it was so glossy it absolutely deserved the praise.

The Fox's ears swiveled toward her again and twitched lightly atop his silver head. Botan was so entranced that she nearly forgot the cute little things belonged to a vicious demon. Her fingers itched to reach out and _touch_. To give them a gentle scratch...

* * *

Youko was upset. Quite angry, actually. 

He rarely got out, and one of the few times he managed to escape his mental prison and become the dominant personality he found he was trapped _again_. This prison was a bit more literal, as it had four solid walls that seemed to press in on him in a most uncomfortable way.

You see, Youko was something of a claustrophobic. He was used to squeezing into tight places (he was a thief, after all, and one of the sneakiest around), but it was rare he needed to stay there for longer than several minutes before he slinked off to steal or kill whatever had to be stolen or mauled.

But here he was, stuck in a small chamber with the blue-haired wench that his human half had teamed up with on this particular mission.

He had checked the room twice over to search for any possible escape – a switch, a lever, a loose stone, _anything –_ only to find the room bare of any such useful and obvious mechanisms.

The woman had checked the room over too – as if she would find anything _he_ hadn't, honestly – and, coming up empty, had sat down in one of three chairs that occupied the otherwise empty chamber. He had sat down opposite her, throughly miffed. Why had his human half chosen such a _useless _partner? She had reikai, but had no training or desire to use it beyond several simple healing spells. And, since neither of them were hurt, her skills were simply no good to them here.

His human side nudged him – something about how this wasn't Botan's (was that the woman's name?) fault and to stop taking his anger out of her. Youko ruthlessly shoved the red-head back into recesses of his mind, kindly telling him to "Shut the hell up." He would take his anger out on whoever he wanted, thank you very much.

To prove his point, he sneered at the woman. To her credit, she didn't jump to hide behind the chair. She _did _blink rather nervously at him, her large purple eyes darting to fix on a point above his head, apparently ignoring his outright hostile behavior. He could smell her fear, though, and hear her heart's rapid beating, which made him smirk. When others feared him, _he _was in control.

Youko huffed, his tail wagging restlessly behind him, it's silky fur brushing against the chill stone floor. All he could do at the moment was wait. He felt absolutely ridiculous – here he was, the feared Youko Kurama, waiting to be rescued like a damsel in distress. He was truly pathetic.

With nothing to do but wait, the youkai turned his golden eyes back to the female, only to find her staring at him with a strange... rapt expression on her face. It was his turn to blink. Her amethyst eyes were trained on the top of his head – was she staring at his _ears_? -- and she had a rather distant look...

Suddenly, it was Youko's turn to feel nervous.

* * *

Those cute little ears were swiveling like crazy now. They were absolutely _precious_! Botan was totally fixated, failing to notice the way the silver youkai regarded her with a slightly apprehensive expression. 

Maybe just a _little _scratch wouldn't hurt? I mean... He wouldn't kill her if she touched him, right? They were practically knee to knee anyway, all she had to do was reach out...

Botan's slender hand shot out and gently caressed one furry fox ear. They really _were_ soft! This time she didn't hold back her girly squeal of delight.

For his part, Youko was shocked by the girl's sudden movement. He flinched in agitation as her fingers slid over the sensitive fur of his left ear. Of all the _gall_!

"What are you doing?!" He snapped, showing his teeth at her, gold eyes bright and fierce. They were the first words spoken since their sudden imprisonment and his subsequent transformation. His voice was quite loud in the small room and sounded caustic – even to him.

Botan paused, her face draining at murderous look the youkai was giving her. What had she been _thinking_? Her fingers stilled, but didn't move away as she stared nervously into the fiery eyes of the demon. Her mouth went dry.

"Ummmm... Petting... you?" She croaked.

Youko had never sputtered before, but he found himself doing so now. His jaw dropped and he stared, wide-eyed, at the deity.

"_Petting_?" he growled in disbelief. No one had EVER had the _nerve _to touch him like that! He was going to rip this girl limb from limb! Petting, indeed. Why, he would -- Ooooh, good god...

A sudden wave of pleasure had him quaking in his seat. The girls' nimble fingers were at it again!

"Stop!" He hissed forcefully, then completely contradicted his words by tilting his head into her hand.

"Okay," Botan agreed, her fingers pausing for a second. "Umm... In a minute!" She quickly went back to stroking his ear, her fingers smoothing over the fine, silky fur. Youko let out a strangled protest that suddenly became a deep and husky purr when her fingernails scratched the base of his ear, just where it disappeared into his silver hair to meet his scalp.

Oh, this was completely unfair... His body was rebelling against him! Like... Like... Like he was actually _enjoying _the woman touching him in such a personal way! Like it felt good! Like it felt...

_Fucking amazing_...! His head leaned further into her hand as he sought more attention from her talented fingers.

Botan continued to gently stroke his ear, her heart in her throat. She had never felt closer to death than she had a moment ago when Youko's burning eyes had been fixed on her with a clear, vicious intent. And since she had been _thisclose _to being ripped to shreds, she had decided she may as well have given one little scratch, just to satisfy her own curiosity before he summoned his death plant to gobble her up.

By the sound of things, she had managed to distract him.

Youko's deep purr reverberated off the stone walls in the tiny room, magnifying the sound so that it seemed to rumble through her. She swore her fingers were vibrating from the force of it where they touched his hair. And what _glorious _hair it was. It slid like cool silk through her fingers, and shimmered in the dim light of their prison.

This also meant that she was faced with another problem: Stopping. Obviously, she couldn't do so, or the youkai would snap back to his senses and kill her twice: once for touching him in the first place, and again for continuing to do so.

His head was leaning further and further into her hand, and his golden eyes were half-lidded, his long dark lashes casting delicate shadows on his pale cheeks. She squeaked when he tilted his head, his nose brushing over her wrist in a ticklish fashion as he nuzzled the sensitive skin there. Botan felt her cheeks go hot and was certain that was becoming red stain settling in them.

The demon dropped from the chair, startling the deity as he knelt before her. He was studying her through hazy amber eyes, his sharp teeth glinting dangerously. Botan stopped stroking his hair, a cold wash of fear splashing down her spine. He was going to rip her throat out, wasn't he? He was going to attack her and yank her throat right – oh, hello...

Youko had leaned down to lay his head in her lap. Botan stared mutely down at him, amethyst eyes wide in surprise and apprehension. What on earth was the youkai _doing_? One alabaster and dangerously clawed hand grabbed her smooth and decidedly _un-_dangerous wrist. She gulped, but he simply placed her hand back into his hair.

"Scratch," he demanded, his voice gruff and deeper than before. Immediately, Botan obliged, her fingers weaving into his hair and gently scratching his scalp. If anything, his purring seemed to grow even _louder_ and more violent.

Youko had never felt anything so wonderful in all his life. This was almost as good as sex! His body was relaxed and his eyes nearly closed and dreamy from the wonderful sensations that the deity's fingers gave him. Small chills went down his spine whenever she scratched behind his ears, and his cheeks were flushed.

He decided he was going to reconsider this girls' usefulness. In fact, she really needed to be around more often. So she could do this for him. Constantly. His purr crescendoed at a particularly delicious scratch and he rewarded the blue-haired cutie with a nuzzle to her thigh. _He_, in turn, was rewarded with shriek and smack to the side of his silver head.

Blinking, Youko's head jerked up in surprise and he glared at the woman. He didn't care HOW attractive she was, no one got away with smacking him!

"What was _that _for?!" He growled, his eyes narrowed. Botan went pale again, but pouted.

"You... You... _Nuzzled _me...!" She stuttered, indignant. Youko was indignant, too.

"_So_?"

Botan gaped at him. "It was _inappropriate_!"

The demon scowled at her. "It was not."

Botan was blushing darkly. "It _was_!" She insisted.

Youko snorted. Good god, the woman was getting all riled up over an innocent little nuzzle to her thigh? She was fully clothed, for goodness sake! Damn, she was acting like a --. The demon grinned, suddenly, evilly. The blush faded from Botan's face as the blood drained for the third time in the past hour.

"You're a _virgin_, aren't you?" Youko asked, his voice husky and wicked. Immediately, the blood rushed back to Botan's cheeks. Really, she was going to pass out if this kept up.

"_What_?!" She squeaked. "I don't see how that is _any _of your business!" she flushed, and looked away haughtily – though the effect was ruined by the way she kept glancing at him nervously from the corner of her eye. If anything, Youko's smirk widened. He chuckled, and the sound was anything but pleasant to poor Botan's ears.

"You_ are_," Youko cooed, moving in on her. Botan backed her chair up as far as she could – which put a solid two inches between them. Suddenly, Botan was the one who began to feel claustrophobic. A clawed hand was on her hip and Youko's full lips were at her ear, his hot breath on the sensitive skin causing body-quaking shivers to rocket through her.

"Maybe I can help with that?" He purred softly. Immediately, Botan subdued him the only way she knew how – a solid scratch behind the ear. Suddenly, the intimidating demon was a quivering mass of limbs, white silk, and silver hair. His head dropped back into her lap and his eyes were half closed once more, the room-shaking purr back in full effect.

And... was he_ whimpering_? Oh dear... The youkai was in a state of bliss, butting his head against the deity's hand and panting for more of her attention. Botan obliged – anything to keep him from asking embarrassing questions or getting _ideas _about other ways to... er... occupy their time.

His tail was thrashing behind him and Botan eyed it longingly. Maybe she could stroke that next...

A sudden rush of cool air and a bright light caused her to flinch, lifting her hand up to shade her eyes. About ten feet up the wall in front of her, one of the stones had been yanked out. Silhouetted against the bright sunlight were three familiar heads.

"Yuusuke!" She cried out happily, waving.

There was no immediate response. As her eyes adjusted to the brighter light, she saw why – the three men were blinking down at her in surprise – or rather, they were staring at the demon who still had his head in her lap. Youko looked back with bright golden eyes. After a moment, he seemed to come to his senses and jerked away from her, getting to his feet and scowling – though she thought she saw a slight reddish tint to his cheeks.

"Took you long enough," He said gruffly, glaring at the trio above them. Hiei merely looked back and forth between his demon friend and the blue-haired girl, before smirking slowly.

"We, uh, thought we heard something in here," Yuusuke replied, breaking into a wide grin. Kuwabara was still blinking at them.

"Hope we didn't interrupt anything!" Yuusuke chortled, "Do you two need any more help getting out?"

Youko glared, and before Botan could answer the demon had grabbed her and leaped all ten feet out of the tiny stone chamber to land gracefully on his feet, his silver tail swishing behind him. He set Botan down gently and she blinked up at him, but he turned away.

"Let's go," He said, stalking forward. Yuusuke followed, still chuckling, and Botan summoned her oar.

"I'm going to go report in to Koenma," She announced, "The demon is obviously trickier than we thought if he was able to trap Youko." Said demon snorted – obviously this was going to be a touchy subject for him.

She ignored the looks Yuusuke was giving her. "Alright, whatever," the dark-haired boy said, waving her off.

She kicked off from the ground, but couldn't resist one last look over her shoulder. As she did, she caught a pair of golden eyes. They gleamed brightly at her and she flushed.

Botan had the feeling that she was going to be seeing more of the fluffy-eared fox demon... And strangely, she found herself looking forward to it.

* * *

For some reason, I've been dying to write that one for ages! And it may or may not get a follow up. We'll see. ::Grins:: 

In the meantime, I would love for my readers to suggest some pairings and plot ideas for me – I'm always up for a challenge! Just please keep it Someone/Botan, since these are supposed Botan centered one-shots. My favorite suggestions will be turned into chapters for this compilation!

Thanks everyone! Please review, reviews keep me writing!


	2. Scorcher HieiBotan

Well, my muse has been nagging me so you guys get a quick update for once! And, yippee! It's a Hiei/Botan chapter! This couple seems pretty popular, actually, though this is my first time ever writing this pairing. I hope I did alright.

* * *

**Scorcher**

_Hiei x Botan_

"It's _hot_."

Actually, hot was an understatement, Botan thought grumpily. It was broiling.

Japan was in the middle of a record heat wave. You could fry an egg on the asphalt.

Temperatures were soaring into the high nineties, with heat indexes even higher due to the muggy humidity. A cloud of heat and steam had settled over the city, and most residents had decided to remain indoors on this particularly scorching afternoon, huddling around their air conditioners.

Botan and Keiko, however, were creatures of habit. Every Saturday for the past three months, the girls had met up to window shop and have 'girl time'. And little things like the threat of dehydration or third degree sunburns weren't about to deter them from this weekly ritual.

Which is why the girls were ambling slowly down the sidewalk, shoulder's drooping under the oppressive heat.

Botan reached up, wiping small beads of sweat from her forehead. Her hair was up in its normal pony-tail, but she had traded her pink kimono for a pretty purple sundress. It was a fashionable cut (Keiko had picked it out for her) that tied around her neck, and the flowy skirt of the dress stopped just above her knees. However, heat seemed to build up and become trapped between her skin and the fabric, and the deity had to stop periodically to shake the skirt out, trying to cool off.

"I _know_," Keiko sighed, stopping for a moment to lean against the shopfront, only to jerk back a moment later when the hot brick scalded her. Scowling, the brunette wiped her palms on her shorts. God, was there any part of her that _wasn't _sweating?!

Someone opened the door to the shop, and the girls froze, feeling the chill wind of wintry A.C. air blow gently over them. Immediately, they scrambled inside, sighing happily as the temperature dropped a good twenty-five degrees in a matter of seconds.

The air conditioner was obviously working overtime in here, and the girls appreciated every icy second of it. They stood near the door, both vying for the best position under the air vent.

"Oooh, this feels good!" Botan sighed, closing her eyes.

"Yeah," Keiko agreed, tilting her head back to let the artificial wind blow over her face.

"A-_hem_."

Both girls look up, blinking as a rather matronly woman frowned at them. She wore a name tag and obviously worked at the shop.

"Oh," Keiko faltered, looking at Botan. "We're, um, browsing."

The woman looked unconvinced.

"Do you have any money?" Keiko whispered to Botan. The blue haired girl frowned and dug around in her purse.

"Uh... I have a couple of dollars, but..."

The woman was giving them very dirty looks. It was obvious that the air conditioning was for _paying _customers only. The girls slunk out of the boutique and back onto the sidewalk. Immediately, the heat settled back around them, causing prickles of sweat to slide down Botan's spine.

"Guuuh," The deity groaned, "This is _awful_." Her brown-haired companion nodded in agreement, and they shambled along. After a minute, Keiko nudged her and pointed to the park across the street.

"Hey, I bet we can find a nice shady tree to rest under," the brown-eyed girl smiled.

"Good," Botan replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "Because heat makes me_ sleepy_."

And it did. The sweltering temperatures made her feel lethargic and lazy. She wanted to find a nice cool patch of soft grass and just _lay _there until the sun went down and she felt more like herself again.

Keiko laughed and the girls stepped onto the neat little gravel path, following it under a large, wrought iron archway into the park.

It was a _pretty _park! The grass was a bright green and looked soft and springy. The trees were pruned and leafy and the flowers – despite the heat – were bright and dewy. Obviously, there were some very talented gardeners on staff here.

Briefly, Botan imagined Kurama in a pair of over-alls and gardening gloves, pruning sheers in hand and dirt streaking his face. The image made her giggle, because the thought of her fastidious friend in something so... well... _frumpy _was ridiculous.

"Botan are you listening to me?" Keiko sighed. The purple-eyed girl looked up, blinking.

"What? Sorry, Keiko."

"Bathrooms," Keiko repeated, pointing to the small brick building, neatly nestled away in a copse of leafy trees. "I _really _need to go freshen up. Why don't you find a bench in the shade somewhere and I'll find you in a few minutes?"

"Okay," Botan nodded, watching her friend stumble toward the restrooms. Sighing, the blue-haired girl turned and looked around, hoping to spot a nice looking place to rest. What caught her eye, however, was a bright, rainbow colored canvas top that shaded a cheerful green rolling cart. The man pushing it looked just as tired and hot as she felt, but he rang the bell with all the enthusiasm he could muster and the smile on his face was genuine. One look at the painted sign on the side of the cart was enough to make the deity break into an excited grin.

"Ice-Cream!" She cheered.

Five minutes and four scoops of strawberry later, Botan was wielding two large ice-cream cones.

She stood on the gravel path, smiling at the vendor as he rolled the cart away and licked the small rivulets of melted pink ice-cream that were already dripping down the side of her cone.

The deity looked around, trying to spot a bench where she could sit down to enjoy her treat. There was _one_ on the other side of the path, a pretty wrought iron design reminiscent of the gate at the front of the park. She eyed it uncertainly. Given the heat of the day, and the placement of the iron bench _directly _under the sun, Botan decided she'd better not risk it, lest her poor bottom be grilled like a hamburger.

She decided on a large leafy oak, instead.

The blue-haired girl meandered over to the tree, sighing as she stepped under the cool umbrella of leaves and into the shadow the giant hardwood cast. It was only a few degrees cooler here than in the sun, but Botan felt like she had just stepped into an oasis after a long trek through the Sahara.

She sat down, her back against the trunk so she could see the gravel trail that disappeared into the the alcove where the bathrooms were hidden. This way she could see Keiko when the brunette emerged, and wave her down if her friend couldn't find her.

She brought her ice-cream cone to her lips, licking the sweet stuff slowly and relishing the cool feeling of it sliding over her tongue and down her throat. Botan was tempted to gobble it up quickly, but last time she had done that the deity had ended up with an awful headache that the ningens called a "brain freeze". It was a painful mistake she was not about to make again, so she tried to savor the quickly softening treat.

And Keiko had better hurry up, or her ice-cream would be nothing but a cone full of liquefied strawberry goo.

"What do you want?" A sharp voice prodded impatiently.

Botan jerked away from the tree in surprise, looking around for the source of the curt words.

"Up here, onna," it came again, sounding more brusque by the second. The blue-haired girl tilted her head back, blinking up at the leaves of the tree. On a bough high above her lounged a familiar looking figure, though she couldn't make out the face from her position. Still, there was only one person she knew who looked that comfortable sitting in a tree.

"Hiei?" She asked softly, a chill of fear sweeping down her spine. There was no reply, but the demon cocked a condescending eyebrow. _Duh_.

Before she could blink, the koorime was in front of her. She stared up at him, breaking out into a cold sweat as the crimson-eyed terror stared mutinously down at her. Silence stretched between them and Botan saw her life flash before her eyes.

"_Well_?" The demon inquired causticly, crossing his arms and glaring at her. Botan trembled.

"... Um?"

Hiei gave a long-suffering sigh, and looked at her like she was the most brain-dead creature he had ever come across.

"I assume you have some sort of mission for me?" The dark-haired man bit out. Botan straightened, smiling nervously.

"Oh! No I don't." She grinned.

"Then why are you bothering me?" He glowered. The girls' smile faltered.

"I'm not!" Botan insisted. The demon glared at her. "Err, I mean I wasn't trying to!" The deity tried again.

"It's just... I was out with Keiko... and she um... and it's so _hot_, I just sat down and... I... uh... I swear I didn't know it was your tree!"

Hiei, however, was no longer listening to the blathering ferry girl. Instead, his eyes were suddenly and intently fixed on the objects in her hands. _It couldn't be..._

"What's that?" He asked abruptly. Botan paused and blinked at him.

"Eh?"

The demon frowned and narrowed his eyes at her, then gestured to the cones in her hands.

"_That_."

"Oh," Botan breathed, looking at the confections as well. "It's, um, ice-cream?" Hiei's eyes brightened.

"Give it to me," he demanded, holding out his hand, his temper flaring slightly when the blue-haired onna hesitated.

"Um, it's for Kei--"

"_Now_," he barked.

"Okay!" Botan squeaked, handing him the untouched cone. The demon grabbed from her, his crimson eyes gleaming greedily and he dropped down next to her. Botan cringed away from him but he didn't seem to notice. The ferry girl considered getting up and running from him, screaming at the top of her lungs, she was afraid that might stir up some predatory instinct in him. So instead, she scooted as far away as she could without being conspicuous, and watched the youkai nervously.

"Sweet snow!" The demon murmured, bringing the pink cone to his lips.

"What?"

Hiei glared at the girl, upset that she dare ruin his enjoyment with her annoying voice. The frighting glare was negated, however, by the pink swirl of ice-cream around his mouth. The blue-haired deity sweat dropped and smiled tightly, returning her attention to her own cone.

Hiei furtively licked the strawberry flavored confection, his tongue darting out to taste the sweet, cold cream. Oooohh... It was _so _good... Personally, he was of the opinion that ice-demons had created the treat. Humans were too stupid to _ever _make something so wonderful.

Much too soon, the frozen delight was gone, and he was left with the sticky brown cone, which the demon did _not _find tasty. He turned his attention to the onna, glaring jealously at the ice-cream she was still enjoying.

Feeling eyes on her, Botan glanced over. The sight of an empty ice-cream cone gave her pause and she blinked. Had he already finished...?! It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. Seeing that the koorime wasn't keeled over, he obviously wasn't suffering from the dreaded brain freeze. Maybe being half ice-demon meant he was immune to such painful conditions?

The baleful glare the demon sent her had her nervously breaking out into a cold sweat again and she quickly turned her attention back to her pink goopy ice cream. _Where _was Keiko?!

Hiei, in the meantime, had fixed his intimidating crimson stare on the onna. Maybe if he wished hard enough, the ferry girl would burst into flames... His brow furrowed. Actually, there was something... off... about the girl today. It took him a minute to figure it out, but then he realized that she was not wearing her usual kimono. She was in ningen clothes. Ningen clothes, he discovered, his eyes raking over her, that showed off quite a bit of long, silky leg and smooth, creamy arms. A slight blush came to his cheeks. _When _had the onna grown... attractive?

Hiei blinked, giving himself a mental shake and returning his attention to her ice-cream, only to be distracted once more.

Botan's pink tongue absurdly reminded the koorime of a kittens', and he watched as if enchanted as she licked at slowly melting ice-cream.

Rivulets of the roseate colored confection ran down over her fingers and wrists, leaving a sticky pink trail along her skin.

The deity wrinkled her nose, noticing the mess as well.

"Gross," She sighed, "and I forgot to get napkins. I'm going to go to the restroom and wash my hands." _And maybe find Keiko and strangle her, while I'm at it, _she thought grumpily. After all, it was the brunette's fault that Botan was IN this scary situation! She began to get to her feet, only to be bowled over and pinned to the ground.

Hiei's hot crimson gaze fixed her in place as he loomed over her, but Botan squeaked with fear and looked up at him, her own eyes wide as she gazed at him nervously.

What had she done? He was going to kill her now, wasn't he? The demon pressed closer and she closed her eyes tight, waiting for the death blow to come. Or maybe for the sharp pain of his katana slicing cleanly through her neck. At least that would be a quick death!

Something warm and soft tickled her wrist – far from the pain she was expecting. What was...? She cracked open an eye, peeking up to see – Oh my god! Hiei was _licking_ her! The deity froze.

Sure enough, the koorime's tongue was gently laving at the sticky ice-cream residue on her wrists. Botan wanted to scream, smack him with her oar, then quickly fly away to hide herself under Koenma's desk. Unfortunately the first one would probably just make the koorime angry, he was too quick for the second, and the third involved her having her wrist free of his steel grip. So instead of doing any of these (though she was still _seriously _considering shrieking like a banshee) she simply lay still and let the demon, well, _lick_ her. After all, it didn't hurt or anything.

In fact... it...um.. well, it felt... kinda nice. In a weird, totally bizarre, this is _Hiei _kind of way. She couldn't completely relax – after all, that's what he was probably waiting for, and once she did, _then _he would slit her throat – but she found that she couldn't quite tense up, either.

If anything, she had to squirm slightly, because it _tickled _a little. It was completely ridiculous, because when did Hiei ever do anything to anyone that tickled? He didn't! He maimed! He killed! He burnt to little crispy bits! He – wooooah, was he sucking on her fingers?

Botan tilted her head, trying to get a better look. And yes, the koorime had taken two of her sticky fingers in his mouth and was slowly sucking the remnants of ice-cream off of them. The deity blushed, because this was beginning to feel a little _too _good. She quickly tried to pull her hand away – wrists were one thing, but finger sucking was rather personal – only to have the demon glare at her and bite down.

"Yowch!" Botan cried, blinking her purple eyes at him. "That _hurt_, you jerk!" she pouted. The black-haired youkai merely growled around her fingers.

"Then hold still, baka onna," he grumbled.

"But! But! You're _licking _me, you weirdo!" She groused, trying to pull her hand away again. He gripped her wrist tightly and glared menacingly at her. The ferry girl gulped nervously. Okay, maybe the "weirdo" comment had been a _little _much...

"You have sweet snow on you," Hiei said dourly, pulling her fingers from his mouth. "See?"

Indeed, there were still pink sticky trails down her hand.

"I can go wash up in the restroom." Botan pouted, "You don't have to _lick _me."

Hiei looked scandalized.

"You would _wash _off the sweet snow?" He refused to allow it, quickly popping her fingers back into his mouth and glaring as he sucked the sweet residue from her skin. Botan "eeped" and tried to pull away again. He pushed her down and kept her still.

"Hey!_ Hey_!" She panted. "I am _not _your personal ice-cream cone, Hiei!" Apparently, the koorime begged to differ, and chuckled at her doomed attempts at escape. Really, the onna was damned _cute_.

"Ummm..."

The two froze, slowly turning their heads to see a bewildered Keiko staring down at them. A pregnant pause settled between the three, and all that could be heard was the sizzle of heat around them.

"I can come back later!" Keiko held her hands up and smiled nervously. Almost instantly, Hiei was on his feet, arms crossed and glaring at the two women. Botan was still sprawled on the grass, confused and blushing.

There was a definite pink tint to Hiei's cheeks, too.

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" He spat at the brunette. Keiko blinked.

"I didn't ask --"

"And you!" He growled, turning to the deity. Botan's lashes fluttered as she looked up at him. He paused for a moment, seeming to forget was he was going to say. "Hn!" he grunted, then disappeared with a soft 'woosh' of air. Probably gone on to inhabit some other unsuspecting tree. Both girls stared after the black blur as it zoomed away from them. After a moment, they looked back at each other.

"Um... I got you some ice-cream..." Botan said sheepishly, still blushing. Keiko eyed her, still puzzled. She reached down and helped the deity to her feet.

"You can explain later," the brown-eyed girl said dryly.

At the base of the tree lay two soggy, forgotten ice-cream cones.

* * *

Wah-hah-hah! I did it! I actually wrote something that was NOT K/B! I have NEVER written a YYH fic that didn't have at least some HINTS of K/B. 

Now, whether I wrote a H/B to any success is a different story. So you guys tell me if I succeeded, okay?

And let me know what pairings and plot ideas you have!

Last but not least, please don't forget to review. :Flutters eyelashes: Puh-wease?


	3. Office Space KoenmaxBotan

Hello again! Well, here is the third installment of my little series. I can't say I'm entirely pleased, but I AM glad that I wrote a KoenmaxBotan. Secretly, I've always rather liked this pairing. I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

**Office Space**

_Koenma x Botan_

"Botan, can you you get some more file folders? It's a mess in there!"

The ferry girl nodded, smiling up at the large, blue skinned oni.

"Sure, George! I think there are some in the storage room down the hall, I'll be back in a minute."

The oni smiled and thanked her, then cringed as a loud voice barked at him from behind the office door.

"Ogre! Get back in here! Who said you were done filing!?"

George sighed and turned back toward the office, "Please hurry with those, Botan-chan. Koenma-sama is in a rare mood today..."

The blue-haired girl blinked at the door, a small frown appearing on her lips as she wandered down the hall to the storage room. She turned on the light and began to rummage through the box closest to her.

Reikai seemed to be quite busy the last few days. It wasn't that there was a sudden influx of souls, but apparently Koenma had decided to catch up on some (loooooong overdue) paperwork – which meant extra long hours for his subordinates.

Botan sighed, hefting a stack of folders from the box and turning off the light. She headed back down the hall, biting her lip nervously.

Her boss had been rather stressed lately, something he tended to take out on those who worked under him. By George's abused expression, the oni had been taking the brunt of their lord's frustration.

She paused outside the door, wincing when she heard a crash, followed by a muffled roar.

"Sorry! Sorry!" George yelped. The fluttering sound of loose paper met her ears and she blinked, then yelped as she was almost hit in the face as the office door flew open.

A harried looking Ayame came stumbling out, her arms full of papers. Her dark eyes widened when she saw her fellow ferry girl with a stack of folders.

"Oh, Botan-chan!" The raven-haired woman murmured. "I'm so glad you're here..." She glanced over her shoulder and Botan's eyes followed: George stood in the middle of the room, stooped over as he tried to gather up a large bundle of papers that had scattered over the floor. Koenma stood on his desk as usual – though what was _unusual _was that he did so in his adult form. The sight of an adult Koenma standing on the cluttered surface of his desk was slightly silly, but at the same time intimidating – he towered over everything in the room. His arms were crossed and he glared angrily at the oni.

"Now I have to reorganize all those papers!" He growled, stomping his foot childishly. "That's it! Five hundred spankings!"

George cringed and tried not meet his lord's eye.

"No sir! pleasel, sir! I will gladly re-order all these folders for you!" He squeaked, gathering up the last few loose pieces and scurrying out of the room, not even pausing to look at his blue-haired friend.

"Oh dear..." Botan muttered. Ayame, who stood beside her, sighed in agreement.

"He's been like this all morning," the dark-haired woman whispered. "Poor George can't take much more. And, frankly, neither can I." The ferry-girl frowned. "Koenma-sama hasn't been this sour in ages..." She turned back to Botan, sighing. "George and I have some papers to organize and file, then we have to present them to Enma. Could you...?" She nodded toward the office, where Koenma had climbed off his desk and sat, stamping furiously away and chewing at his ever-present pacifier.

She _really _didn't want to go in there. But the look in Ayame's eye, and the defeated look on George's face made her feel incredibly guilty. For her friends, she was willing to jump into the frying pan.

"Of course," She told Ayame, smiling bravely. The older woman sighed and smiled gratefully. "We'll try not leave you too long!" She whispered, then hurried past her and down the long, marbled hall. Botan looked longingly after her. Oh, she really, _really _didn't want to go in there.

Squaring her shoulders and putting on her best, most bubbly smile, Botan pushed through the partly open door and into the large office behind it.

"Good morning, Koenma-sama!" She chirruped, bracing herself. The brunette looked quickly up from the paperwork he was examining and blinked at her.

"Oh... Botan..." He cleared his throat and glanced away. "Good morning..."

Botan stood awkwardly by the door, shuffling her feet. "Um... sir... I have the folders you needed?"

Koenma looked up again, and this time he seemed to really focus on her. It was odd to see her boss in his adult form, she was so used to him as a chubby toddler that this tall, handsome version seemed like a whole other person. If it weren't for the attitude and the intensity of his amber eyes, she would hardly recognize him.

Yes, those eyes were quite intense. Especially when they where fixed on you like that. Like he was going to burn a hole right through her.

She shifted nervously. "Koenma-sama?"

The young man seemed to shake himself and (finally) blinked. The godling pointed to a stack of papers on the corner of his desk. "Yes, thank you, Botan." He sighed. "If you could, these need to be sorted and put away."

The blue haired girl smiled and walked over, setting the folders on a chair and began to work.

An easy silence settled between them as they worked together: Koenma stamping and embossing, Botan ordering and filing. It was actually rather nice. And the young god didn't seem so tightly strung anymore – in fact, all traces of the angry, moody man from several minutes ago had all but disappeared. The deity glanced covertly up at him, smiling to herself. His brow was still furrowed (which made him look rather like his normal, toddler self) as he concentrated, and he was sucking thoughtfully at his pacifier. It was... well, it was actually _really _cute, if you weren't disturbed by grown men with pacifiers. Having been around Koenma for many years, Botan was not.

Actually, from what she could tell, her boss had spending a good bit of time in his adult form lately. She had walked passed the office just yesterday to find him pacing the floor, dictating something to Ayame, and a few days before she had seen him in the palace gardens – again, pacing under a sakura tree.

In fact... besides those brief glances and, of course, today, Botan hadn't seen her boss very much. Tantei missions had been keeping her very busy. When she wasn't in the field, she was dragging herself into her room for some much needed rest. Working with demons was exhausting!

But, she found that she liked it. She liked the excitement and the danger... she liked Yuusuke, and the rest of the tantei... she liked being able to help. She liked going to ningenkai, and makai, and being part of the action. It was much more interesting than... office work.

Botan frowned, staring at the paper in her hand.

"Botan? Are you alright?"

The deity looked up, laughing nervously. Oh, dear, Koenma had caught her spacing out... Hopefully he wouldn't start in on her like he had been doing to George. She didn't want any spankings! Although... the thought of this full grown Koenma pulling her down over his knee... Wait, wait, stop _right_ there! She blushed hotly and cleared her throat.

"I'm fine! Just, um, thinking about the tantei! You know how busy we've been, lately."

Koenma furrowed his brow even deeper and frowned. He seemed about to say something, but the buzzer went off, indicating that he had a message from Yuusuke. The brunette turned his chair to the screen, turning it on.

"Koenma here."

A fuzzy picture of Yuusuke appeared, the dark-haired man fading in and out.

"Hey, shorty!"

Botan cringed, there didn't seem to be any problem with the audio. Koenma twitched in his chair, agitated and pouting slightly. He never did like the pointed comments directed to his smaller form.

"What is it, Yuusuke?"

The ningen peered into the screen.

"Hey, we were tracking some minor demon near my school. He disappeared through a portal thing and we followed him – but ended up in the Makai."

There was a minor scuffling heard from behind the human, a loud complaint from Kuwabara and a caustic "shut _up_, fool!" From Hiei. Yuusuke turned his head.

"Both of you, be quiet!" He turned back to the screen, looking harassed.

"Hiei's jaagan eye isn't picking up the portal, he thinks it disappeared. Can you send Botan to get us out of here?"

Botan beamed. She'd be getting out of the office after all! She summoned her oar with a quiet 'pop'ing noise. "Leave it to me, Koenma-sama! I'll be back in a--"

"Hinageshi will come and get you," Koenma sighed. Botan and Yuusuke blinked.

"Huh?" They said in tandem.

Koenma reached up and rubbed his temple. "I'll send Hinageshi. Just sit tight and don't go anywhere. I'm getting a fix on your location now."

"Okay..." Yuusuke replied. The screen went black. Botan stared at her boss. What? Had he just sent some other ferry girl to rescue _her _boys?

The amber eyed man held a small communicator in his hand, and she heard the small voice of her red-headed coworker. He snapped the small device shut and put it back into the drawer, then began stamping papers again like nothing had happened.

Botan blinked at him. What on earth...?

"Koenma-sama, why didn't you send me?"

The young man glanced up, giving her a brooding look.

"You are helping me here." He replied, his tone defensive.

"Yes, but... I'm part of the tantei," She sputtered, blinking. "I should have been the one to go."

Koenma regarded her closely, his lips pressed together in an angry line.

"No."

"But --"

"I said no!" He crossed his arms.

"But I'm the ferry girl assigned to their case --"

"You're_ my _ferry girl, and I said no!" He said petulantly. Botan gaped at him.

Immediately, Koenma realized that he had said something wrong.

"_Your _ferry girl?" Botan glared. Koenma quickly decided he needed damage-control.

"You're my employee," He tried again. "And... I have decided... that I want you here."

When Botan looked as though she was about to argue, he gave her his most menacing glare.

"And that is my final word on the subject!" He crossed his arms again. The blue-haired deity bit her lip, as if trying to hold back a stem of protests. She turned her back on him, her shoulders stiff, and mechanically began to file once again.

After several minutes of stony silence, Koenma realized he was being given the cold shoulder.

"Botan," He said gently, amber eyes fixed on her rigid back. The girl merely sniffed in response, her hands continuing to order folder after folder. He tried again. "Hinageshi is more than capable of handling this mission..."

"And I'm not?" She snapped. She realized she was being silly, but her feelings were hurt.

Koenma frowned. "No, of course you are--"

"Then why didn't you send me?" She asked, turning to face him. There was pain in her purple eyes. The godling paused, floundering for just a moment, a slight hint of red tinting his cheeks.

"Because... Because I want you here."

Botan frowned at him, and he realized that she wasn't convinced. Sighing, the young man leaned back in his seat.

"I... I haven't seen you in a while..." he said softly, not looking her in the eye. "I've... missed you..."

Botan blinked at him, her heart melting. She supposed she understood a bit better now. She had practically grown up with the demi-god, and had worked under him almost every day for the past three-hundred years. The past couple of months, though, she had barely seen her tyke-sized boss.

"Aww..." She reached out and patted his hand. "I have missed you too, Koenma-sama." She smiled. The brunette blinked his amber eyes rapidly at her, the pacifier perched at the corner of his mouth as he regarded her.

"You... have?"

"Of course!" Botan smiled. She held a finger to her lips, looking thoughtful. "I know I've been in ningenkai a lot, lately. The tantei keep me busy." She didn't notice the dark look on the young man's face as she began to go off on a tangent. "Yuusuke is getting even stronger and keeps trying to take on powerful demons by _himself_. Of course that's not a good idea, and I have to keep to healing him over and over again, and--"

"Botan," The brunette snapped. The ferry girl flinched in her seat, her purple eyes snapping back to him.

"Hm?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for _weeks_," He said sullenly. "Why do you think I've been in _this _form?" He gestured to himself, to the tall, elegant man that he had become. The man with the childish pout on his lips. Somehow he pulled it off and managed to look... Adorable!

"Um..." Botan was confused, and couldn't help the slight blush that tinted her cheeks.

"It's not fair... You've been spending all your time with the tantei!"

"Well, sir, you did assign me that mission..."

Koenma twitched in his seat, flustered. "Mph... _Beside _the point!"

Botan blinked at him. "Um, Koenma-sama... Are you... jealous of the tantei?"

He bit into his pacifier. "No!"

She stared at him. He flinched.

"...Yes!"

Botan sighed. "Sir... Being part of the tantei is my _job_."

Koenma crossed his arms and glared at his desk. "I know... Just like..._I'm _part of your job..."

She was getting more confused by the minute. "Yes, Koenma-sama... You're my boss."

He looked stricken. Botan frowned and leaned forward slightly, wanting to comfort him somehow.

"I know.." He said softly, amber eyes fixed sadly on her. "I know I am... But... I want... to be more than just your boss, Botan."

"Koenma-sama..." She reached and lay her hand over his, smiling. "You are! You are also my friend!"

Koenma huffed. God, surely his blue-haired deity wasn't _that_ dense. "I want to be more than your friend, too, Botan..." He paused. She blinked at him, then blushed.

The brunette sighed, _finally _she was getting the idea. They stared awkwardly at each other for several moments.

"I... Is that even allowed?" Botan asked. "I think there are rules... against that..."

Koenma sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You hardly even work for me anymore, Botan..." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're practically Yuusuke's employee. And... I hear you've been taking orders directly from my father..." Botan blushed deeper, laughing nervously.

"That was only a couple of times!" She insisted.

Koenma shook his head, taking her hand in his and looking into her eyes. Botan flushed because... Oh, lord Koenma-sama was _gorgeous_ in this form!

"Botan... Go to dinner with me tonight?"

The deity knew that the godling had a really bad habit of delivering requests like they were decrees. She would have to address that someday.

Not today, though. The blue-haired girl blushed and smiled softly.

"Yes..." And she was surprised at just how much she meant it. _Yes, I want to go to dinner with you. Yes, I want to be more than your friend._

Immediately, the tension melted from the brunette and he smiled easily, lacing his fingers with hers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent huddled over official papers, but she couldn't help the shy smile that passed her lips at the continual pink flush on her boss' cheeks.

* * *

I don't know... I'm just not sure if I like this. I think this chapter will undergo some heavy revision at some point. 

Like the first chapter, I'm torn. I kind of want to write the actual date! But I don't know if I should, or if I should leave it alone and let it stand as-is. Please tell me what you think!

And don't forget to suggest pairings and plots:)


	4. Valentine KuramaxBotan

Ahoy, readers! Waves

Today, I bring you the Valentine's special edition! Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend who gave me the idea for this chapter. I love you so much, JD! Happy Valentine's Day, honey. :)

For the rest of you, let me explain a couple of things.

Valentine's Day in Japan is celebrated by women giving chocolates to men. The men respond one month later, March 14, on White Day, when they give woman gifts that are three times the value of what that particular woman gave them. That's why it's only the girls handing out gifts in this fic.

Also, those who read Shakespeare will recognize the flower name in the chapter. For those of you who haven't read A Midsummer Night's Dream... Well, what are you waiting for?! But don't worry, you won't be confused.

Now, without further ado, I present:

* * *

**Valentine**

_Kurama x Botan_

The halls had been decorated with red and white streamers, and pink paper hearts had been strung together in a cheerful arrangement over the lockers. Couples stood closely together, hand in hand, whispering romantic words, feeding each other chocolate, or just blushing shyly as they basked in the other's presence.

Ah, yes. Love was in the air.

The majority of the female student body of Meiou high were armed to the teeth and prepared for battle. Each wielded a large box of chocolates (homemade, of course) and a six page, heartfelt essay on why each of them loved a certain red-head (oh, you're so _beautiful_Shuichi-kun! You're eyes are as green as a spring meadow! You're so smart! Blah, blah blah.) and why each of them was the most deserving of his affections. (I have loved you since pre-school! I have sworn off all other men because I know that we are _meant to be_!).

Kurama's fanclub was usually aggressive: following him around school, following him home, filling his locker up with love-letters between classes and, generally, being quite annoying. Today, however, they had a new, restless energy among them. It was Valentine's day, after all, the day of love! Their best chance to get through to the man of their dreams was _today_. They were certain that he would succumb to the burning passions of one (oooh, or maybe _all_) of them today. They just knew it!

If only they could find him.

It was the last period of the day and, for the girls who had not yet bestowed their gifts of love on their flaming-haired object of affection, their last chance to convince Shuichi that he really _did_have feelings for at _least_one of them.

But Shuichi was not in his Biology class! Several girls who had managed to sneak out of study-hall stood crowded around the classroom door, peeking into the window.

"Where is he?" One whined. "I know he was here earlier!"

"Maybe he went home?" Another fretted. "Oh, I hope not! I spent all night making these chocolates for him and I just _know _once I prove my culinary skills to him he will definitely ask me out!"

One girl laughed rudely, "Oh, please. Like your overcooked truffles are going to get you anywhere! It's going to be _my _love letter that turns him around." She looked up at the ceiling, blushing. "And he'll take me into his arms and _kiss _me and tell me how he's been waiting for --"

"Yeah right!" Said the girl holding the chocolates. "You're dreaming! You've been giving Shuichi-kun one letter a day for the past three_years_ and he hasn't taken you into his arms _yet_! In fact, I don't think he's even _looked _at you!" She lifted her chin smugly. "_I _however, was his lab partner and --"

The girl with the love-letter rolled her eyes. "That was in _seventh_grade, Miyume, has he even talked to you since?"

The other blushed angrily. "Shut up, Kurenai! As we all know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and, as the girl with the best home-ec grade, I am sure to be victorious today!"

"Whatever!" Kurenai snapped, hands on her hips. "Shuichi-kun is the smartest boy in school! He's going to want someone he can have deep, meaningful and intellectual conversations with! Out of all of us, I --"

"You're screwed!" Miyume, chortled, "I happen to _know _you failed the last math test!"

Kurenai's eyes narrowed and she took a menacing step toward her friend. It wasn't the first time girls of Mieou high had come to blows over the handsome red-head and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Um, excuse me! I'm looking for Kura-- Uh, I mean, Shuichi-san! Do you know where I can find him?"

The two girls and their possy looked up, their eyes falling on a tall, blue-haired girl in a Sarasaki high uniform. She smiled brightly at them, purple eyes sparkling with good humor.

She was very pretty.

Immediately, the girls decided to put their arguments aside and circled the wagons. They had to protect Shuichi from this strange girl who was encroaching on Mieou turf. Didn't she have enough boys at HER school?!

"Who are you?" Kurenai asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The blue-haired girl laughed sheepishly. "I'm Botan, Shuichi-san and I are friends."

Miyume stepped up, eying the girl. "Just friends, huh?"

Botan blinked at her. "Um... Yes."

Both of the Meiou girls looked at the small box of chocolates that the strange girl was holding.

"Oh? Are you sure you aren't angling for more?"

Botan cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"

Kurenai and Miyume stepped forward, crossing their arms over their chests and narrowing their eyes at the girl.

"Shuichi isn't here." Miyume said.

Botan smiled awkwardly. Goodness, what an unfriendly bunch!

"Oh, okay! Well, thank you! I guess I'll give these to him later!" She turned and walked off down the hall.

The deity frowned as she turned the corner, looking at the small box of chocolate in her hand. She had stayed up pretty late with Keiko and Yukina last night making the little heart shaped chocolates and had then spent the majority of the day handing said chocolates out.

Apparently, it was the tradition to make chocolates for all the boys you knew, and then to give them out on Valentine's day. Botan wasn't going to complain – she had a lot fun making the little treats (and eating the left-overs!) and spending time with her friends.

Yukina and Keiko had given their Valentine's gifts to Kurama in the morning before school, while Botan had delivered hers to Koenma. She had met up with the girls in the early afternoon and together they had tracked down Hiei, Kuwabara, and then Yuusuke. After the chocolates were exchanged, the students had decided to skip class. Yukina and Kuwabara had wandered off together, followed shortly by Yuusuke and Keiko.

Botan thought it was terribly romantic and hadn't wanted to spoil the couples' time together. So, while the lover's were off (having hot, Valentine's make-out sessions, she giggled) the deity had decided to find the last person on her chocolate list.

She had realized that she would be much to conspicuous if she wandered around in her pink kimono, so she had put on the Sarasaki uniform (Yuusuke's school) and decided to hoof it. Even though it wasn't Kurama's school uniform, it was STILL a uniform and she knew that people would ask fewer questions if she pretended to be another high-school student.

And she was disappointed that she had been unable to find Kurama. She hoped he wouldn't think that she had forgotten about him. Maybe she could find him early tomorrow and give him the chocolates then?

She headed out the back of the school. Since it was the last period of class, the sports fields were empty. Botan figured she could get out of sight and hop onto her oar there. As she wandered down the neatly lined paths twisting between the four greenhouses, a flash of red caught her eye. She looked up, purple eyes bright.

"Kurama!" She beamed.

The ferry girl made her way to the large, glass door. A blast of hot, steamy air hit her as she stepped into the greenhouse. There were plants everywhere! Potted plants, trees, and tropical flowers. There were greens, blues, violets, reds and pinks, each color more exotic than the last. It was beautiful.

There were several leafy trees that reached the ceiling, foliage spread out to cover the glass panels, while vines crept up the walls. Shafts of sunlight peeked through the leaves and the whole place was lit in a soft, green-tinted light. It was ethereal.

"Please go away," A soft voice sighed. "I am busy right now."

Botan blinked, then blushed, embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kurama-kun! I didn't mean to interrupt! I'll just see you later." She turned, her hand on the doorknob.

Kurama looked up from the lab table, surprised by the use of his demon-name. Through the thick foliage and flowers, he saw a hint of blue hair.

"Oh, Botan!" He walked around the table. "Wait! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."

Botan looked over her shoulder, smiling sheepishly. A pair of bottle-green eyes peered curiously at her from across the room.

"I'm sorry," She said again, "I didn't know you were busy."

Kurama shook his head and smiled, motioning her forward with one hand.

"Not at all, Botan, please come in."

She smiled hesitantly and approached him, ducking branches and gently pushing leaves and flora from her face as she made her way over to where the tall red-head stood. He was wearing a white lab coat and his long hair was pulled back from his face.

"I apologize for snapping," he said, still smiling. "I was afraid you were one of... hmm... the girls that tend to follow me around..."

Botan blinked and tilted her head to the side. "What? You have girls that follow you around?"

Kurama sighed and tapped his fingertips impatiently against the table. "Unfortunately, yes... And they've been more persistent than usual today." He looked up at her, tilting his head to the side. "Which is why I am _here _rather than in the classroom."

Botan giggled. "Trying to throw them off the scent by hiding out?"

He frowned at her, his brow furrowed. "I am hardly _hiding_, Botan," He murmured. The ferry-girl grinned knowingly. He sighed and the corner of his lips twitched upward into an unwilling smile.

"Well... maybe just a little," he admitted. "What can I help you with today, Botan-san?"

The girl beamed and held up the small box of chocolates. "Oh! I wanted to give you these! Happy Valentine's Day, Kurama!" She held out the box and the red-head blinked down at her. Gingerly, he took the box from her.

"Thank you, Botan... You didn't have to..." He frowned. Botan peered worriedly up at him. Had she done something wrong? She bit her lip, she was new to this Valentine's thing. What if she had accidentally done something to upset him? She looked around the room, trying to think. She had made the chocolates... Was that the problem? Did Kurama only like store-bought chocolate?

Her eyes fell on a large pile in the corner. Boxes on boxes on boxes of chocolates. Stacks of cards, piles of stuffed animals, even a couple of roses (though those had been placed with more care on the top of the pile). Of _course_! No wonder he wasn't pleased with her gift! He already had enough chocolate to last him the rest of the year.

"I'm sorry, Kurama!" She said, "I didn't realize... Wow, you have enough chocolate to get you through a lifetime!" She laughed nervously. Why did she feel so embarrassed? A hot blush stained her cheeks and she felt distinctly uncomfortable at the thought of the red-head rejecting her gift. She reached out, trying to gently tug the small box out of his hands.

The boy blinked at her, not releasing his hold on the gift.

"Thank you, Botan."

She glanced up at him, "Hmm?"

The tomato-haired boy smiled at her and she felt hotter than before. "Thank you," He repeated once more. "I am happy that you thought of me." He slowly tugged the box closer and her hands dropped back to her sides. The half-demon leaned back against the desk, examining the brightly wrapped gift. The paper was red, dusted with little silver hearts and the whole package was tied with a neat, red-velvet bow. Tucked under the bow was a small card with 'Kurama' written in pretty kanji. He carefully removed the envelope, opening it and pulling out a small card.

There was a cartoon picture of a Reynard on the front. It was posing playfully against a red background, one green eye winking up at the reader. Kurama smiled and opened the card, blinking at the script.

"You're a fox!" underneath was scrawled a neat, "Love, Botan." He chuckled, looking up at the blue-haired girl who was standing awkwardly before him She relaxed slightly at his reaction.

"Very clever," Kurama grinned. "Youko likes it, too."

Botan giggled and blushed slightly, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. "I thought of you when I saw it... For, uh, obvious reasons." She smiled.

Kurama chuckled again and set the card on the table, turning his attention to the box. He slowly unwrapped it, smiling at the obvious attention his blue-haired friend had payed to the gift. Setting the gift-wrap aside, he was left with a small, red box. He slipped the lid off and smiled. Piled in the box were pieces of home-made chocolate. The deity had obviously used molds and the box contained two shapes: hearts and... roses. He lifted out one of the rose-shaped chocolates and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm..." He sighed appreciatively.

The deity fidgeted nervously. "Are they... okay?"

The red-head closed his eyes, sighing in obvious delight. "Delicious," He peered at her from under his lashes. "You are a talented chocolateer, Botan-chan."

Had he just called her -- ? Both of them blinked, then looked away from each other. Kurama straightened and cleared his throat and Botan blushed. He hadn't said it on purpose!

"So, um, what are you working on?"

Kurama frowned at the distraction and tilted his head. "Oh, nothing..." He subtly moved closer to the desk, trying to block her view.

Botan peered around him, her eyes widening at the sight of a large flower. It was shaped like a lily, but the petals glittered iridescently in an enchanting shade of purple. It had a sweet, heady scent and she wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. It was so strong, surely she would have smelled it the second she walked into the greenhouse? Or perhaps... Had it just begun to release its scent? She shook her head. No, that was a silly thought.

Wasn't it?

"Kurama..." She said slowly, her amethyst eyes drifting slowly up to meet with the bottle green ones belonging to her companion. He looked thoughtfully down at her.

"That is a makai flower, isn't it?" She frowned at him.

The half demon frowned as well. "It is... a hybrid." Botan's frown deepened.

"You know it's illegal to bring Makai plants to the human realm..."

At this, the red-head gave her his most charming smile, one that could melt the sun.

"I rather hope that you will keep this between us, and not tell your esteemed lord." He said softly. The blue-haired ferry girl looked unconvinced.

"I think that depends on the nature of your experiment here," She said dryly. Kurama sighed.

"The makai plant is known as love-in-idleness. The nectar, if brushed across the eyes of one who is asleep, will make them fall in love with the next thing they see."

Botan blinked. "A plant can do that?"

Kurama shifted into Biologist mode. "Well, it's not _real_ love, obviously. The nectar stimulates the release of endorphines into the bloodstream, making the victim feel warm and pleasant. The next thing they see becomes a catalyst, causing the endorphines to be released. Therefor, the person associates the good feelings with the thing they see, causing them to believe they are in love."

Botan examined the flower. "I see... Well, it's quite pretty. What are you using it for?"

Kurama smiled. "What you see here is not the true love-in-idleness. This is a hybrid, a cross between the love-in-idleness and the earth lily. I am trying to dilute the nectar."

Botan glanced up at him. "For what purpose?"

Kurama beamed. "I am going to make a truth serum. By diluting the nectar of the love-in-idleness, I can create a liquid that produces the pleasant feelings associated with love, without the need of a catalyst. It will relax the victim and make them forget all inhibitions. You can ask them anything and they will reply truthfully."

Botan smiled. "Impressive! Does it work!"

Kurama frowned. "Well... To be honest... I have not yet been able to create the flower with this property. The love-in-idleness tends to come out too strongly within the hybrids. I cannot seem to dilute the nectar enough."

Botan sighed. "Oh... Well... at least it's pretty." She reached out, her fingers sliding over the silky petals of the flower. The flower leaned into her hand, petals opening. "Oh!" Botan smiled. "Are you making it do that?!"

Kurama's brow furrowed. "No... I can't... quite control these hybrids." Botan blinked up at him. "Youko has control over Makai plants," Kurama expounded, "I merely control ningen plants... And the demonic properties in the hybrid plants are too strong for me." He admitted sheepishly.

"Oh..." Botan began to pull her hand back from the plant, giving it a suspicious look.

"Don't worry," Kurama smiled. "The plant can't attack you. That isn't its purpose."

Botan smiled back at him and reached out, giggling when the plant butted against her palm.

"Well... I won't tell on you then..." She grinned. "Just be careful in the future, and don't breed your plants on school grounds?"

The half-demon nodded. "Of course, Botan-chan."

He said it again! Wasn't that how human boys referred to their girlfriends? She blushed and looked away from him, surprised when plant nuzzled her wrist.

Kurama frowned at the plant. "That's strange..." He murmured.

Botan was giggling at the ticklish sensation. "What?"

"Nothing." But he continued to frown. The damn plant was responding to... his feelings... Before Botan had walked in, the hybrid had refused to bloom. It would not respond to any amount of coaxing from him and had remained stubbornly closed up. After the deity had come, however, he had felt a spike of interest from the flower.

When he had laughed at the card, the petals of the hybrid had opened. When he had eaten the chocolate, the plant had bloomed to maturity. And when he had smiled at Botan, and felt that gentle warmth rise in him... The plant had leaned into Botan's hand.

Oh, dear... maybe the nectar wasn't the truth serum... Maybe it was the plant itself? He couldn't deny his feelings when the hybrid was acting on them, when Kurama had no control.

Botan pulled away and stepped back from the table. "Well, I --" She paused, blinking. The purple lily was reaching for her, petals and leaves outstretched, stem straining in her direction. "Is there something wrong with the plant?"

Kurama blushed. "It appears that... while I cannot actively control it... the hybrid is acting on... my feelings."

Botan looked up the red-head, frowning. "Your feelings?"

The half-demon turned toward her. "It is... acting on my feelings... toward you..."

She tilted her head to the side, then giggled. "What...? Like... It's nuzzling my hand because you want to nuzzle my hand?"

A slight tint of pink had asserted itself in Kurama's cheeks.

"Something... like that..." He murmured.

"Hmm?" Botan was looking at the plant again, frowning as it continued to strain toward her. "It looks... sad..."

Kurama looked at the plant, too, his brow slightly furrowed. "It _did look_ melancholy... it was reaching out for the deity as if starved for her affection. Was that how he felt? He glanced at the ferry girl from the corner of his eye. She was biting her lip, reaching out to the flower. She didn't step closer, and her fingertips barely brushed over the petals but the lily leaned eagerly into her touch. If it leaned any further it would pull itself out of the soil.

Kurama frowned, watching the interaction. He had had more than a... _friendly _interest in Botan for some time now. But he had not acted on these feelings because he was not sure how she felt toward him. Until today, when Botan had surprised him with the Valentine's gift, he had not realized how _much _he liked the deity. When she had moved to leave, he had quickly called her back, because... he _did _crave her company. He wanted her attention.

_He _wanted her attention. And here his plant was getting all of it. The fox boy's brow furrowed.

"Botan," he said gently, reaching out and pulling her hand from the plant. She looked up at him, smiling.

"Yes?"

He cupped her hands in his, smiling to himself as a soft blush colored her cheeks.

"I was surprised that you gave me a Valentine's gift... Usually, girls only give gifts to boys they are... interested in."

Botan blinked up at him, her blush deepening. "Wh-- what? I thought... that you gave gifts to all the boys you knew..."

Kurama smiled. "Yes, you do... But the gift you gave me was personalized... You put a lot of thought into it... I liked it very much. But the time you spent on it makes me wonder... Are you interested in me, Botan?"

The deity blinked amethyst eyes up at the red-head. Oh my god... Oh my god... He thinks I'm like one of those _stalker _girls now! She flushed. "Well, um..." What was she supposed to say? And_ why _didn't she just say _no_? She looked sheepishly up at the gorgeous red-head, floundering.

He chuckled softly and she felt even more mortified. Oh, god, now he was _laughing _at her!

"I simply wonder, Botan-chan... Because I am interested in _you_,"

The ferry girl paused, startled. "You... What?"

Kurama smiled at her, leaning down slightly until the tip of his nose brushed against hers.

"I like you, Botan-chan."

Botan blushed deeply. This... Wasn't really happening, right? The most beautiful and sought after boy in all of Japan had NOT just told her that he liked her.

"Please let me take you to dinner tonight."

The deity blinked up the half-demon.

"Kurama?" She murmured.

"Will you go with me?" He prodded, his warm hands enveloping her smaller ones. "Please?"

She continued to blush, looking shyly at up him.

"I... Yes... I would... love to go to dinner with you, Kurama."

The red-head smiled and gently pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.

"You honor me, Botan," He said sincerely. The hybrid lily was in full bloom, sitting contently in the ceramic plot, quietly filling the hot-house with it's sweet scent.

Kurama pressed his warm mouth down over hers, and Botan reached up, her arms going around his shoulders.

The ningen plants, reacting to their master's silent command, slowly pressed in around them, shielding them from prying eyes should anyone walk by and happen to glance into the greenhouse windows.

Kurama pulled back slightly, smiling at his deity's flushed face and full, kiss-bruised mouth. Gently, he ran his thumb along her plump lower lip.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Botan-chan," He murmured before cupping her cheek and claiming her mouth for himself once more.

* * *

I have to say... I'm very happy with how this turned out! I hope you all enjoyed it, too. Please tell me what you think when you review! 

I love all of you!

Passes out candy hearts to reviewers


	5. Ribbon xBotan

A quick little vignette for you today. See if you can guess this chapter!

* * *

**Ribbon**

_? x Botan_

The Dark Tournament dome cast a large shadow over its lush surroundings. The island, which hours ago had been bustling with the sounds of cheers, boos, and fighting: mettle on mettle, flesh on flesh, and, in certain cases, plant on flesh; had gone quiet.

The fights had ended for the day and the crowd had emptied out of the dome to return home while the fighters had retired to their rooms in the hotel, resting up to prepare for tomorrow's finals.

Some of the observers still hung around, standing together in small groups and talking excitedly about the events of today's fights. They paused as a tall blue-haired girl walked passed them.

Botan had not returned to the hotel with the team. She, Shizuru, and Keiko had gone for a walk around the dome, ostensibly to look for an ice-cream stand but in reality they had wanted to talk about the fights out of the hearing of certain fighters.

"Did you see his _ears_?" Botan gushed, her purple eyes bright. "The cutest things _ever_!"

"And his hair!" Keiko added, giggling, "Oh my gosh, it looked _soooo_ soft!"

Shizuru, walking beside them, took a drag on her cigarette. "Mmm..." She tilted her head back, blowing smoke upward. The two girls looked at her expectantly. "Yeah, I guess," the older brunette shrugged.

"You_ guess_?" Botan blinked.

Again, Shizuru shrugged. Keiko and Botan looked at each other, then shook their heads.

The fights earlier had been intense, especially the last two. And especially, in Botan's opinion, the fight between Reverse Urashima and Kurama. Due to her station, Botan had already known that her red-headed friend harbored a particularly infamous youkai inside him. She just hadn't known how _gorgeous _said demon was. Other than for herself, Hiei, Koenma, and, of course, Kurama, the transformation had been a shock to the team and the veiwers. Heck, it had been a shock to her – she hadn't expected to ever see Youko Kurama, let alone see him forced out the way he had been by that strange, time-reversal mist.

And then watching him fight... It had been... frightening... Kurama's usual style was precise, quick, and elegant. Youko's was all that times ten. And the utter detachment in his sharp, golden eyes had sent a chill down her spine. Truly, Youko was a frightening adversary, one she hoped to never, _ever _cross – even if he _was _the most attractive man she'd ever seen.

The girls finished the walk in silence, each thinking about the events earlier, and the inevitable fights tomorrow.

Shizuru seemed especially distracted. She took a long drag on her cigarette and looked up toward the observation deck of the dome.

"Hey," She said, "I'll meet you back at the hotel... I think I left my sweater in the seats." Before her companions could reply, the older brunette had wandered off into the dome.

"She wasn't wearing a sweater," Botan frowned. Keiko shook her head.

"No... She's been a bit odd lately. I mean, odd for _her_."

"Yeah..." Botan tilted her head to the side. "I'm going to go make sure she's okay..."

Keiko held up Puu, who was squirming in her arms. "You do that. I'm going to take this little guy back to the hotel. Be careful, okay? Even though the fighters are back at the hotel... I don't like the look of a lot of the ticket holders..."

Botan laughed. "Oh, you worry too much! I'll be fine. And I have my oar, so I can always make a quick escape if I need to."

Keiko nodded. "Alright... I'll see you soon, okay?"

Botan smiled and waved. "Absolutely! See you Keiko!" And with that the blue-haired girl took off after Shizuru, following the path the young woman had taken.

The path up to the dome was dirty, littered with cups and trash – most of which had been trampled into the gravel. The entrance of the arena loomed before her, and it seemed bigger, somehow, now that the place was empty and silent. The deity walked past the turnstiles and into the dome. The place was deserted, but for her. She looked toward their seats and saw neither Shizuru or a lost sweater. The ferry girl frowned.

"Shizuru?" She called. "Shizuru!" Where had the woman gone? What if something bad had happened? There WERE demons wandering about, after all!

"Shizuru!"

"She's busy," Came a soft voice from behind her. Botan whirled around, clutching her heart, which was beating frantically against her ribs.

Five paces away stood a tall, dark-haired man. He wore a black trench coat with a red collar that flared up around his face like some kind of exotic flower. But what was strange was the shinobi mask that covered the lower portion of his face: from nose to chin. Intense blue eyes peered at her over the mask, and a small gust of wind lifted several black, silky strands of his waist-length hair. He pushed them back, still staring silently at her.

There was a certain crackling in the air, a spark of dark jukyuu that alerted Botan to the true nature of the man before her: demon.

Botan frowned, her heart still beating with a frenzy. She could not remember being this close to a strange, possibly dangerous demon. Alone. She shifted one hand behind her back, ready to summon her oar at any second.

"Have you seen my friend?" She asked pleasantly. "Tall brunette, uh, chain smoker?"

The demon narrowed his eyes.

"I believe I told you," Came his soft voice, slightly muffled by the mask he wore, "That she was busy."

Botan frowned and shifted uncomfortably and eyed the dark-haired demon suspiciously. "You didn't... _Do _anything to her... Did you?"

The youkai snorted and stood up straighter. "Why would I waste my time on someone as boring-looking as her? She is with Sakyo."

"Who is --" Botan began, only to end in a squeak as the demon suddenly loomed over her.

"_You_, however," Came his silky voice, "Look quite interesting..." He flashed out of view and Botan blinked, then panicked when she felt a warmth at her back. Before she could move, her hair-tie had snapped and her long blue locks fell down, framing her face and cascading down her back.

"What an unusual color," The youkai murmured, his fingers running through the soft blue strands. Botan flinched away, whirling on him.

"Woah, hey, you can't --" She was cut off again, this time by a small explosion near her head. There was a bright flash of light and a flare of heat and she jerked backward – into the demon's grasp.

"Hold still," He whispered to her, his silky voice cool and menacing, "Or I'll blow you up." He conjured a small, winged bomb for good measure. It fluttered around them in a zig-zag pattern and Botan watched it warily. Needing no further prodding, she didn't move as the demon ran his fingers through her hair.

"You are on Kurama's team," He said after a several moments of silence. Deciding that nodding her head would count as moving, and having no desire to be blown up by this strange demon, Botan responded verbally.

"Yes." He was doing something to her hair, she could _feel _it. It was driving her crazy. His fingers slid gently through the soft strands, pausing for a moment, then sliding through again.

"Do you... Know Kurama?" She asked in way of distracting herself from the... admittedly pleasant sensations.

"I am matched with him tomorrow," Came the demon's soft voice. Though she could not see his face (and even if she could, he was wearing a mask) she got the distinct impression that he was smirking.

"Oh... And, um... Did you see the match today?" She kept her tone conversational and the panic out of her voice. When the heck was this guy going to let her go?

He shifted slightly behind her. "Hmm... I left halfway through."

Botan blinked in surprise, tempted to turn her head to stare at the youkai. "What? But you missed the best part! You mean you didn't see when he turned into Youko?"

She felt the Youkai shrug. "I saw." He replied.

Botan frowned. "Then... you left after he turned into Youko? Why? That was the best!"

Whatever the demon had been doing to her hair, he had apparently decided he was done. He stepped around and gazed down at her, piercing blue eyes meeting flustered purple.

"It became boring." He cocked an eyebrow at the deity's confused expression and explained further. "Youko is dull... So... dispassionate... No fire..." A series of small explosions went off around them and Botan jumped. The demon set his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Kurama's human side has that fire... and passion... that... vulnerability..." Again, she _feel _the demon smirking as he looked down at her. "And his hair," he said, "I really like his hair..."

Botan frowned at him, confused. This youkai was quite obviously unstable and the longer she was alone with him the more nervous he made her. She was fairly certain he could feel her nervousness the same way she could feel his jukyuu. It probably radiated off of her in waves.

There was a glint in his eyes telling her he was smiling. Again. He reached down, his fingers running through her hair.

"I like your hair, too," He murmured. "Such a pretty color... And so soft..."

She stared mutely up at him, unsure what to say. What _could _she say? 'Thank you' didn't seem to fit.

His fingers ghosted over her face, brushing over her forehead, her nose, stroking lightly over her eyelashes and finally moving softly over her lips. She could feel the warmth of his skin, and he seemed to be growing hotter by the second. She could swear his fingers were _burning_ --

But it was nothing compared to how his mouth felt as it crushed against her own. She didn't know the exact moment he had removed his mask, all she knew was that he was suddenly kissing her. Hard. His fingers were in her hair, forcing her to tilt her head back and give into him. She made a quiet noise in the back of her throat but didn't struggle. The kiss was hot, molten, sending liquid fire through her. She could hear many, many tiny bombs going off around them, but the heat they gave off was _nothing _compared to this. Through half-lidded eyes she could see the dark strands of the youkai's hair as it tangled with her own. Slowly, his locks were brightening to a honey-gold color as his mouth moved insistently against hers. She tilted her head back further, reaching up and sliding her fingers into his hair, feeling the softness and the strange, pulsing power that wrapped around her.

And the kiss broke just as suddenly and she stared dazedly up at the demon. He gazed down at her, eyes bright as he slid his mask back on. He was pressed against her and several strands of his hair – raven colored once more – were still wrapped around her fingers.

Was THAT the fire he had been talking about? That heat between them when his lips had crashed down over hers?

He was smirking at her – she could see it in his eyes – and his fingers were brushing over her lips again.

"That passion," He murmured, "And heat... perfect... so... explosive..." He chuckled, and the sound was dark and rich, sending another shiver down her spine.

"Botan!" A voice called. Distracted, she looked up. Her red-headed teammate was just turning the corner into the arena, worry evident in his voice. She looked back toward the dark-haired demon, but he was already gone. All that was left behind was the faint whiff of gunpowder.

"Botan!" Kurama called again, moving swiftly toward her. She turned to her friend and smiled.

"Hey Kurama! Great fight today!"

The fox boy frowned, but thanked her. "Are you okay?" He asked. Botan blinked at him.

"Of course... I'm fine..."

The red-head frowned again. "I sensed jukyuu... I thought I saw... something..." He eyed her suspiciously.

"I was looking for Shizuru," She explained. "I saw her come in here..." She wasn't sure _why _she didn't mention the demon. But the experience had felt... personal... And she wasn't ready to think about it, let alone talk about it with Kurama.

He accepted her explanation at face value, though he did continue to cast her questioning looks as they headed back to the hotel. She chatted amiably, pausing when he finally spoke again.

"Botan... did you do... something different with your hair?"

She blinked at him. "Huh?"

He gazed back at her, green eyes curious. "You're hair... It looks different... I haven't seen you wear it that way."

Botan turned and looked into the window of one of the rooms, using the glass as a mirror. Her hair had piled onto her head, several long strands falling down to frame her face or curl about her neck. A black ribbon held the whimsical style together, tied at a bow just over her ear. She reached up, her fingers running along the black satin, feeling the silky surface of the ribbon against her skin.

That demon was _truly_ insane. Holding her captive so he could style her hair? Absolute nut job.

She smiled. Kurama was going to have his hands full tomorrow, that was certain.

"Oh, I thought I'd try something new," She said, smiling at the red-head. He nodded slowly.

"Ah.. I like it..."

Botan giggled, running her fingers over the ribbon once again. She liked it, too.

* * *

Alright, for those of you who haven't guessed it: KarasuxBotan! Hooray for crazy demons with hair fetishes! 

I liked this one, even though it ended up being shorter than my normal chapter standard by about two pages. Oh well, quality, not quantity I say! Please tell me what you think when you review, and don't forget to give me suggestions! I reply to all reviews.

Thanks, loves!


	6. The Fall KuronueXBotan

Hello again, readers! Back with the next installment! And please visit my profile and vote in my poll – which story should be updated next?

* * *

**The Fall**

_KuronuexBotan_

The sun was warm on her back and a gentle breeze ruffled through her hair. The soft blue strands kept blowing forward and falling into her eyes, forcing her to continuously push them back and, thus, steer her oar with one hand. This wasn't too dangerous, though, since Botan wasn't flying so much as drifting through the sky, letting the sultry Makai wind push her along like a celestial sailboat.

The languid pace was relaxing, and combined with the heat of the day it made Botan altogether drowsy. Which _was _dangerous, because this was the demon realm and she really needed to be alert! Especially because she was... well.. lost.

Botan sighed and tilted her back, blinking up at the heavens and cursing her luck. She really wasn't _that _dizzy, it was just that these things seemed to happen to her with an alarming rate of consistency. The deity frowned and shook her fist skyward.

"What am I, fate's plaything?" she grumped. A particularly strong gust of wind pushed her oar forward and sent her flight-frizzed hair into her face.

Frustrated, her hand dropped back down to push the offending locks back where they belonged.

Honestly, it wasn't as if she was _hopelessly _lost (though, with her luck, she probably _would _be by the end of the day), she did have her communicator tucked safely into her obi and could, if necessary, call Koenma and ask for directions.

But then her boss would laugh at her for getting lost and, knowing the tyke-sized god, he would harp on the incident for the rest of the week. Botan _really _didn't want to deal with that, so calling Koenma would be her last resort.

The ferry girl supposed that she could always stop and ask someone for directions, but the only people around to avail her were demons. Demons were scary. They had claws. And really, really sharp teeth. And nasty tempers. The blue-haired girl shuddered and gripped her oar tighter, remembering all the stories she had heard of evil Makai demons attacking innocent travelers and rending them limb from limb before feasting on their tender flesh.

It was a rather macabre thought for the normally bubbly Botan, and she glanced furtively around, shivering, as though she might catch sight of one of these flesh-eating demons.

The expansive Makai jungle was spread out beneath her, all lush green trees and tropical flowers. It had a steamy, mysterious beauty that tugged at the deity's curiosity, but through the thick foliage she could see a shadowy, dark interior. There were places so thick with trees that the sun had a difficult time getting through to the jungle floor, which meant under the bright, cheerful canopy was as a dark, misty underworld. One that probably hid masses of people-eating demons!

The ferry-girl gulped and pulled her oar a little higher, until she was ensconced in a fluffy cloud. The thick, white cumulus swirled around her, blocking her view of the jungle below her – and also the blue of the sky above. She sat there a moment, steadying herself.

"Geeze, Botan. There you go, scaring yourself!" she scolded quietly. "There are no flesh-eating demons down there! There's nothing but trees and flowers and... um... fluffy white bunnies... and other cute little animals..." Her purple eyes narrowed uncertainly and she looked below her as though she could see the evil jungle through the cloud.

She was having a difficult time expelling the images of bloodthirsty demons from her head. The deity squared her shoulders and pulled her oar to a stop.

"Enough's enough! Stop daydreaming and pull yourself together! It's time to get back on course, Botan!"

Botan nodded to herself, pleased with her pep-talk. She gripped the handles of her oar with new resolve, and set a course northward (at least she thought it was north... Makai was different from earth).

There was a break in the cloud and sunlight spilled in around her, creating a rainbow effect in the air before her. A smile broke out on her lips and she giggled at the good omen. Things were going to be okay after all! She was going to get back on track and navigate her way through the demon skies just fine!

Suddenly, something black hurdled out of the cloud in front of her, shattering through the delicate rainbow and plowing into her with such force that she was knocked off her oar.

The deity grunted as her breath was knocked from her and had the strange sensation of her stomach flipping. And then she was _falling_ – pink tangled in white, blue snagging in black, something _warm_ and _solid_ spiraling down with her, wrapped around her and oh kami those trees were rushing toward her too quickly where was her _oar_ --!

A loud crash and a distant pain and then darkness.

* * *

Something was tickling her nose. And _something _hurt like hell. Oh, wait, that was her body.

Groaning, Botan reached up and rubbed her face, wincing as her entire being cramped in protest.

Purple eyes slowly blinked open. A green blur greeted her, which hazily revealed itself to be grass as her vision cleared. She stared at the grass for several minutes, wrinkling her nose at the ticklish sensation it caused when it brushed against her face.

Carefully, she did a mental inventory. Toes? Ouch, yes. Legs? Double ouch, but both there. Torso? Judging from the massive ache in her chest, and the fact that her heart was pounding – it was definitely there. Arms too. And the colossal headache as well as the inner dialog assured her that her head was attached firmly if painfully to her shoulders.

"I'm alive," the deity mumbled, making a face and spitting dirt and a little of blood (_eeew!_) from her mouth.

"Definitely alive, but more than a little battered I'm afraid." An amused voice drawled from beside her.

Alarmed, Botan sat up quickly, scrambling to face the speaker. Unfortunately a whole bunch of blood rushed from her head and she promptly fell back, dizzy and her vision dimming. A strong hand (claws!) grabbed her shoulder and steadied her.

"Easy! You're going to black out again!" a smooth voice rumbled in her ear, and two long-fingered (clawed!) hands gripped her and gently propped her up against a tree. The rough bark scratched her through her kimono, and she winced. As her eyes cleared, she found herself looking up at the pale face of a _demon_.

Instantly, she tensed, her wide, frightened eyes meeting the concerned blue orbs of the man before her. Quickly, she glanced over him, taking in the scratches on his cheek and the bruises on his pale arms. Long, dark hair fell like a silk curtain around his handsome face and down over his alabaster shoulders. Then she noticed that stretched behind him were a large pair of dark, leathery wings. A memory sparked brightly in her still dazed mind.

"You broke the rainbow."

The demon blinked at her, then a smile slowly spread across his full lips. A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest and she felt the vibrations tickle through her.

"I think you might have hit your head harder than I thought."

Her mind was clearing and she frowned at him. "You knocked me off my oar!" She accused, poking her finger against his chest. The demon's smile widened and he released her, holding up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Guilty, I'm afraid!" he grinned. "I'm not used to air traffic, you see, and I wasn't on the look out for pretty ferry girls as well I should have been."

Botan's frown deepened and the charming demon faltered.

"I'm very sorry for knocking you out of the sky. Though to be fair you gave me quite a scare as well."

The deity blinked at him, her hands dropping into her lap.

"I did?"

The youkai grinned. "I'm pretty much the king of the sky around here," he stretched his wings out for emphasis. They cast a dark shadow over her and Botan shrank away from the youkai, wrapping her arms around herself. The demon didn't seem to notice and continued, "Imagine my surprise when on my daily perimeter sweep – which are pretty dull – I tumble upon (or perhaps _into_) a lovely reikaii ferry girl who happened to be in my flightpath through the usually very empty sky. I was, of course, a bit startled."

Botan smiled nervously. "Oh... I see..."

The demon grinned toothily at her and she paled at the sight of all those glistening white teeth.

The deity mumbled something. Blinking, the winged youkai leaned in closer.

"What was that?"

"Are you going to eat me?" The blue-haired deity squeaked.

The demon blinked again. They stared at each other. The dark youkai gave her a bemused look and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you serious?" He deadpanned. Botan nodded meekly.

"I've heard stories... of... um... demons eating people..."

Again, the demon chuckled, his blue eyes fixed intently on her. Somehow, Botan didn't feel comforted.

"Look," he smirked, "You may look... delectable..." he paused, slowly letting his eyes roam over her in a way that made the ferry girls' cheeks flush and had her squirming uncomfortably, "but I have no desire to eat you," he finished, but added with a leer, "At least, not in the way those particular stories depict."

Botan blushed darkly and glared indignantly. "You!" She choked on her words, too angry to speak. The demon laughed and rocked back on his heels, his blue eyes glittering with merriment.

"Urgh!" She huffed, pulling herself to her feet and stomping away. She heard the demon scrambling behind her.

"Wait!" He called, still laughing, "Wait up! Ferry girl, come on..."

Long-fingered hands gripped her shoulders and she angrily shrugged them off, continuing to storm away.

"Come on," He said again, his voice now soothing, though echoes of his dark laughter still reverberated through the trees. "You'll get lost on your own!"

The deity stopped a moment, thoughtful. Darn it all, the youkai was _right_. Damn him for being so... so... rational! Finally, she turned back toward him, only to find that he was right behind her. She jumped a bit, but his clawed hands were on her shoulders in an instant to steady her. She was looking square at the youkai's chest – and a very well muscled chest it was, peeking from under the black vest he wore.

Quickly deciding that gawking would get her no where, she craned her neck back to look the demon in the face. He was a lot taller than she'd realized when they had been sitting next to each other. Botan was a tall girl herself, but this youkai was pushing seven feet! She blinked up at him and he gave her a charming smile in return.

"Okay," She sighed, defeated.

The bat-winged youkai grinned and stepped back. She watched curiously as he removed the strange buckled hat he was wearing and bowed to her. He gazed at her through a curtain of dark hair and she caught a glimmer of bone-white canine as he smirked.

"My name is Kuronue. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He straightened and placed his hat back on his head. "And what are you called, lovely?"

Botan blushed again, and fisted her hands in her kimono sleeves. Darn this man for being charming and attractive! Why couldn't he be scary like all the other demons? Then she would know how to behave around him (scream and run away)!

"Botan," She said after a moment, "Ferry girl first class of Reikaii."

"Botan!" Kuronue beamed, taking her hand, "What a beautiful name!" He leaned down, pressing warm lips against her knuckles. The deity fidgeted and blushed before quickly pulling her hand away.

"Yes, well!" She said, stumbling over her words, "We should really... Get out of here and stuff..." She blinked, then paled. "Oh no! Have you seen my oar?!" She threw herself at the startled youkai and gripped his vest, her purple eyes dewy with tears. "Koenma will _kill _me if I lose another one!" she wailed. "I have to find it!"

Kuronue chuckled nervously as he gazed down at blue-haired girl. She had mood swings like a demoness in heat! Tentatively, he patted the top of her head. "There, there," he said soothingly. "Don't worry about your oar." He reached behind him and pulled at something under his wing. A long wooden handle emerged and Botan immediately latched onto it.

"Cumulus!" She cried, "you're okay!" She hugged the oar to herself, smiling happily and cooing in soft tones to the wooden paddle. Kuronue stared, then laughed.

"I think you really _did _hit your head too hard..."

Botan looked up sharply and glared. "If I did, it's your fault!" Kuronue smiled nervously, and after a moment she softened toward him. After all, he did rescue her oar. Speaking of which...

"How did you get Cumulus?" She asked curiously. The demon grinned wryly.

"Well, after our tumble to terra firma, you blacked out. A moment later, 'Cumulus' joined the decent and clobbered me in the head so hard that I nearly joined you." He rubbed the back of his head gingerly.

Botan smirked at him. "Well, that's what you get for knocking me out of the sky, demon."

He pouted. "How cruel. I didn't do it on purpose you know. And I _did _keep you from breaking your neck."

She poked him in the chest. "You wouldn't have had to keep me from breaking anything if you hadn't, you know, _flown into me_!"

Kuronue sighed and wrapped his his fingers around her wrist, pulling the prodding finger away. "Touche, lovely."

Botan smiled triumphantly, only to falter a moment later.

"Umm... so... now what?"

The bat demon grinned and pulled something glittery from his pocket. It was a ruby pendulum which he flicked toward her. Hypnotically, her eyes followed the jewel. Kuronue's mischievous blue eyes studied her.

"Weeeelll..." he drawled. "You _are _on my territory... Technically, you're trespassing..." He smirked. "I _could _eat you..."

Botan paled and looked anxiously up at him. "I thought you said you didn't want to!" She squeaked. The demon laughed.

"Did I say that? I don't recall saying I _couldn't _eat you if I wanted..." He grinned toothily and chuckled as the deity trembled.

"That wouldn't be a nice thing to do," She huffed, "I mean, you already knocked me out of the sky and roughed me up – I think my rib might be broken by the way."

Kuronue dropped the cool act, pulling his pendulum back sharply so the chain wrapped firmly around his wrist as he stepped toward her, blue eyes softening in concern.

"Really? Where does it hurt?"

Botan jumped back and poked him firmly in the shoulder. "HAH! It was a trick! Someone who wanted to eat me wouldn't _care _if my rib was broken!"

Kuronue rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, you caught me. I don't want to eat you. But I _could _you know! So you'd better start being nicer to me or instead of showing you the way out I really WILL eat you!"

Botan faltered, giving him doubtful look. "You were going to show me the way out?"

The demon stared at her. "Of course. What did you think I was going to do?"

"Eat --"

Kuronue threw up his hands, "Oh for kami's _sake_, Botan! I'm not going to eat you!"

Botan paused, "Umm... rob me blind and leave me for dead."

Kuronue dropped his hands to his hips and regarded her, a frown on his full lips.

"You have a very low opinion of us, my lovely."

The deity shrugged, "I've collected a lot of souls from Makai, many of which were the victims of such attacks..."

The demon watched her solemnly, his blue eyes dark. Finally, he sighed. "I suppose many of my kind are... cruel... Perhaps I am as well... But I promise that I have no intention to eat you or leave you for dead."

Botan smiled brightly. "Okay! Let's go then!" Botan was a trusting person by nature, and it was actually rather tiresome being constantly suspicious of this demon. Besides, her gut told her that he was trustworthy, and several hundred years on the job had taught her to trust her gut.

The youkai blinked in surprise at her sudden mood swing, and smiled uncertainly.

"Alright... This way then..." He took the lead, picking a complicated path through the jungle. Botan followed close behind, chatting amiably and smiling. Kuronue glanced over his shoulder now and again to make sure she was okay, and to smile and answer her frequent questions.

Ten minutes later they stepped out of the shadowy canopy and into a small clearing bathed in sunlight.

"Here we are!" Kuronue announced. He stretched his wings out to their full extent, groaning in pain. "Kami... I think I sprained my wing..." He frowned. "I guess I won't be able to escort you all the way back up, Botan." he smiled. "Sorry about that!"

Botan smiled happily and shook her head. "That's okay, I can find my way from here. Thank you, Kuronue!" She pulled out her oar, when the demon suddenly reached out and took a hold of her wrist. Curiously, she looked up at the smirking demon.

"Now wait, lovely... Do you think I'd let you go without paying me for my services?"

Botan's heart dropped and she frowned. Had she misjudged this demon?

"You knocked me off my oar," She glared, "_You _owed _me_!"

He wagged the finger of his free hand, still grinning, "Now, now, Botan... I saved your life in the ensuing fall to earth. I didn't have to lead you out of the jungle on top of that!"

The deity pouted, looking sullenly up at the tall bat youkai.

"I don't have any money," She admitted grudgingly. Kuronue nodded, his blue eyes sparkling.

"I know."

Botan blinked. "You know? How do you know?"

Kuronue gave her a sheepish look and pulled her communicator from his pocket. "I might have gone through your stuff while you were passed out..."

"WHAAAAAT?!" Botan screeched, gripping her oar tightly.

"Yeah, I – OW!" The demon shook his head, dazed after the sudden whack to his noggin. That Cumulus sure was a sturdy little fellow – he ducked a second blow.

"Stop!" He sputtered, "Stop! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! OW!" Another whack and he reached out, grabbing her oar-wielding hand. "Stop!"

Botan looked angrily up at him and he went quiet. "I'm sorry," he said softly. Quietly, he tucked the communicator back into her obi. "I suppose we can't escape _all _our demon tendencies."

Botan watched him silently for several minutes. He _did _look rather ashamed. Again, her gut told her to trust him.

"Alright," she sighed. "I forgive you."

Kuronue brightened, his blue eyes fixed hopefully on her. "You do?" He released her wrist.

"Yes," She grumbled. "Just DON'T do it again! Or I'll have another go at you with Cumulus!" She shook her oar threateningly and the demon laughed.

"Understood." He smiled, "But... you still owe me."

Botan groaned. "I don't have any money, you know that!"

Kuronue smirked. "Who said anything about money?" He leaned over her. The deity's purple eyes went wide.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, a strong arm was wrapped around her waist, and a clawed hand tangled in her hair. Warm lips crushed her own and she was experiencing the dizzying sensation of falling all over again. Her knees went weak but the youkai supported her, gently pulling her closer to lean against him. Kuronue slowly parted her lips and slipped his tongue in her mouth, tangling it with hers. The ferry girl reached up, her hands fisting his dark hair and it slid like silk through her fingers. Slowly, languidly, he pulled away, his blue eyes dark and fixed on her.

"That is the payment I require, lovely," he murmured, his voice husky.

"Oh..." Botan was breathless. She blushed and the demon ran his thumb over her bottom lip, smirking. After a few minutes, he released her and Botan stood unsteadily in the clearing as he backed away.

"You'll come back and visit, won't you?" He asked, grinning.

"Um," Botan blushed, "I don't know if --"

"You'd better," Kuronue interrupted. "If you don't come visit me, I will come to you." His blue eyes were still fixed intently on her, and her cheeks flushed darker.

"The palace is very well guarded, I don't think they'd let you in."

Kuronue chuckled and winked. "My dear, I am a very sly demon. Trust me, I can find a way into your room without anyone ever knowing. And once I'm there, I can't promise that I won't... eat you..." He flashed his teeth at her and she turned as red as a tomato.

The youkai laughed and backed into the jungle. "Until next time, Botan-chan..." He cooed.

As the deity took to the sky, a thrill of excitement left her trembling, clinging to her oar. She had the feeling that she would be seeing the dark-haired bat demon again soon. Very soon. And the thought gave her the most delicious feeling – just like falling.

* * *

Obviously, KuronueXBotan! Yaaay! I LOVE writing Kuronue. So charming!

Thanks for reading! And if you did read, then please review. I get a lot of people adding this story to their favorites or alerts who never bothered to review first. That's rude, people. Authors spend a lot of time and effort writing their fics and feedback is important to them. IF YOU READ THE STORY, THEN REVIEW!! Authors, stand with me on this!

And don't forget to suggest pairings and plot! :) Love ya!


	7. The Thief YoukoXBotan

Okay, peeps, so far the chapters of this fic have been non-sequential. That all changes here! This chapter is a followup to chapter one, **Silk and Stone**. Also, this is a light lemon. Which means the rating has officially gone up. Which means reader beware! Sexiness ahead!

* * *

_The Thief_

Ferrying souls of the dead was both a physically and emotionally taxing job. It took a certain kind of person – a certain kind of _personality_ – to deal with everything the profession entailed: new souls were often sorrowful, or full of pain, or regret. Sometimes it was all three. It _hurt_ to take them away from their families, from everything they had ever known. Even if it _was _for their own good. After all, an unferried soul became a ghost, which eventually became a wraith – an entity of pure emotion, no longer retaining any memory of its past or a sense of self.

Some souls were full of rage. They were _angry _that they had been torn away from life. They grasped at their mortal threads, unwilling to let go, unwilling to accept the reality that they no longer belonged in the realm of the living. They lashed out, taking their anger out on the ferrier – like what had happened to Botan earlier.

It had been a routine day up to that point. She had collected several souls in the morning -- peaceful souls that had lived full lives and were ready for death, prepared to meet the smiling deity and follow without complaint. Botan had been looking forward to the afternoon, because she had only one soul on her roster. After that, she would have the rest of the day to herself, and she had been looking forward to spending time with her friends. So it was with a cheerful smile that she had flown back to ningenkai to ferry her last soul of the day: one Sayako Morisotto, age 36, mother of three. Cause of death: car accident. She had been sideswiped by a drunk a driver and pushed off the road and into an embankment, the airbags had failed to deploy.

When Botan arrived to collect her, Sayako was in tears. The deity had tried to comfort her, explaining that there was reason to her death, and that she could expect fair judgment from Enma Diaoh and a peaceful afterlife or a chance at reincarnation. The woman had turned on her, furious.

"_Reason_?! What reason? You _stole _my life from me! You took _everything_! You are nothing but a thief!"

Though she had heard similar words before, Botan was stung. _She _had done nothing. The deity was not _responsible _for this woman's death. Fate was the culprit, not her! She was simply doing her job, picking up the pieces, ferrying the souls to Reikaii to receive judgment.

It took a certain kind of personality to be a ferry girl. One had to be thick skinned, resilient, and upbeat. Botan was all that and more, but even she had bad days.

Today was one of those days.

She had let the angry words of Sayako slip through her defenses and prick her heart. After she had delivered the silent, resentful soul, she had gone to Koenma to fill out all the necessary paperwork, and had then trudged out of the office.

* * *

Her geta clicked softly against the highly polished floors of the palace, and her bright pink kimono whispered against the air as she turned a corner. Botan's 10,000 watt smile was missing, and an unusually introspective expression had taken its place. Purple eyes gazed ahead, unseeing as she took another corner and began to walk up a curved staircase. A small frown had taken up residence on her soft lips, and her head tilted downward, blue hair hiding her features from the other ferry girls that she passed in the halls.

Her coworkers smiled in greeting, then blinked at Botan's unusually soft reply. What was wrong with bubbly deity?

Turning one last corner, Botan fished a keyring from her obi. This side of the palace was home to the ferry girls, and set up like an apartment building -- a really _nice _apartment building. With marble floors and fountains. Hey, working for Koenma had certain perks.

Each "apartment" had all the necessities: kitchen, living room, full bathroom, and bedroom. There was also a cafeteria that was open 24 hours (soul collecting was hardly a 9 to 5 job, after all) for those who did not have time to cook for themselves or were not culinarily inclined (Botan fell into the latter category). The blue-haired deity had stopped by on the way to her room and had grabbed a cupcake. She had hoped that the bright green frosting would cheer her up, but one bite had proven the confection to be stale. The frosting had been _hard _for goodness sake!

Needless to say, the cupcake did _not _improve Botan's sour mood.

Keys jingling, the deity slid into her room and closed the door softly behind her. The mid-afternoon sun peeked through her yellow curtains, casting her living room in a cheerful glow. The deity paused, looking out the large, bay window. Right outside her rooms was the palace garden, and the flowers were in full bloom. Lilies, daisies, violets, daffodils, and, of course, peonies all grew together in a symphony of gorgeous colors. The sight finally brought a smile to her lips and Botan set the keys on the kitchen counter before heading down the hall into her room.

The smell of roses drifted like perfume through her apartment and Botan breathed it in, her smile widening. The light scent reminded her of spring, and of long ago days spent in the sun – and of more recent times, spent with her friends, happy and carefree in this rare, peaceful period.

A light breeze teased through her hair, bringing with it another whiff of fresh roses. Botan's smiled faltered. Breeze? Why would there be a breeze in her hallway? Come to think of it, _why _did her apartment smell like roses?

Curiously, the deity stepped into her bedroom. Cream and lace curtains danced around as another cool gust of air whispered by them and ruffled her kimono. Botan blinked, staring at the open window. Had she left it open? That wasn't like her. She might be a bit forgetful at times, but she_ knew _she had closed her window last night. Hadn't she?

With a mental shrug, Botan slipped off her geta and walked across the plush carpet to latch the panes shut. The blue-haired girl paused at the windowsill, smiling as the smell of flowers became stronger. She glanced down, surprised to find red and pink roses waving merrily up at her. She hadn't realized that they were growing so close to her room! The gardeners must have gotten lazy, this years the roses had begun to grow up the palace walls and right under her window. Smiling, Botan reached down, lightly stroking the silky petals of one of the red blooms, giggling softly as it seemed to lean into her hand, brushing against her skin as the wind gently pushed it closer.

Feeling cheered up, the ferry girl carefully closed the window and drew the curtains, humming softly to herself. She walked toward her closet, laying one hand against the wall and bracing herself as she leaned down to pull off her white socks.

Strange. With the window closed her room seemed... humid? Warm, and the air was damp, as if she had just run a very hot shower. And the room still smelled strongly of roses.

Botan paused, glancing up toward her bathroom. She might have left the window open, but surely she hadn't left the water running _too_? The door was closed, and the room was quiet – she didn't hear the tap. Shaking her head, the deity began to loosen her obi and turn toward the bed.

A pair of molten eyes peered back at her.

Covering her mouth to stifle a scream, Botan stumbled back against the closet. She tripped over her geta and threw out her arms to regain her balance – but to no avail. The deity tumbled backward gracelessly, landing with an "oof!" on her backside.

A low chuckle drifted toward her from across the room and Botan winced. Slowly, she looked up, purple eyes going wide at the sight that greeted her.

Youko, stripped to the waist, was lounging across her bed like he owned it. One clawed hand was under his chin, the other rested against the comforter. Long, delicate fingers tapped out a careless rhythm against the cream colored sheets as he leered at her, golden eyes bright and fixed on her in a most intimidating way. His ears swiveled back and forth on his head before finally perking in her direction and his silvery tail thumped lazily against her mattress. Long, starlit hair fell over his shoulder and down his back, framing his pale, beautiful face. Sensuous lips pulled back to reveal pointed, bone-white teeth as he shot her a lecherous grin.

Botan's heart tried to jump right out of her chest, but found it couldn't quite make it. So it decided to relocate itself to her throat instead, and thumped so fast and so loud that any demon in a 100 mile radius was sure to hear it.

As it happened, Youko was the _only _demon in a 100 mile radius and, being so close to the source, could hear the deity's frantically beating heart quite distinctly. The sound amused him and he let out another low-pitched chuckle. It rumbled through the room like thunder, and Botan trembled as the sound seemed to wrap itself around her, holding her in place as effectively as one of Kurama's vines.

The last time she had seen Youko was during the mission two months ago, when they had been trapped in an underground cell together. Boredom had lead to foolish thoughts which had lead to foolish actions and Botan had ended up scratching the youkai's ears as though he were her pet doggie.

Youko, of course, was no pet. He was an infamous and greatly feared Youkai -- and dangerous to the core. He had been _very _angry at Botan's intrusive touch – at first. For some reason unknown to Botan, he had quickly succumbed to her nimble fingers and had actually... asked for more. And had gotten some rather... _frightening _ideas on how to pass the rest of their captivity. Thank goodness they had been rescued quickly afterward, or who knew _what _the youkai would have done!

After that mission, Youko went back to being the dormant personality of Shuichi Minamino, the handsome, flame-haired member of the tantei. Botan had not seen him since the mission, either, and had the sneaking suspicion he had been avoiding her. Kurama kept his demon side tightly under wraps – trapping him deep within the recesses of his mind.

Seeing Youko in the flesh meant that either Kurama had intentionally released him (which she had never known him to do) or that he had lost control. She was afraid it might be the latter. And she was even _more _afraid of the reason _why _the kitsune had come to _her_.

_Revenge_, her mind whispered, conjuring up mental pictures of Youko's deadliest weapon, his man-eating plant, gobbling the deity up while the silver-haired youkai laughed maniacally.

_I should never have scratched his ears!_

Youko and the ferry girl regarded each other silently.

The youkai, who had not had anyone cower so dramatically in his presence for quite some time, was relishing the moment. But after several minutes, when he had obviously made no move to attack her, he began to grow bored.

"Please stop cringing, ferry girl," he drawled, his ears laying flat against his head, "Adorable as it is, I didn't come here to watch you tremble." His eyes flashed, and his lips slowly stretched into a lazy smirk. "Or maybe I did?"

Botan squeaked and tried to sit up straighter, her back against the wall.

"How... Um... How did you get in?" She mumbled, her hand inching into her obi to grab her communicator and call for backup. Youko on the loose meant _trouble _for all three realms.

The demon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Your window was unlocked. I know you live in a safe neighborhood, little deity, but don't you know how dangerous that is? Anyone could break in." He smirked and wagged one clawed finger in her direction. "And I wouldn't want anyone to sneak up on you, Botan-chan. Only I'm allowed to do that."

Botan gulped. "Oh, ah... I'll... keep that in mind..."

"See that you do," Youko replied, tugging disinterestedly at a loose thread in her comforter, his fiery eyes still fixed unnervingly on her.

She knew she shouldn't ask, but curiosity was gnawing at her stomach, overpowering even the fear. "So, er... How did you... get loose?"

The demon narrowed his eyes at her -- his captivity inside the mind and body of a human was something of a touchy subject for him.

"Shuichi, brilliant as he is, decided to go to Makai. He's had... a lot on his mind lately and decided to relieve the stress in lieu of... How to put this delicately? _Eradicating _some of the demons in the area."

Botan blinked, then frowned. "What? That doesn't sound like him..."

Youko gave her a naughty grin. "Oh, you're right. _I _was the one who did the eradicating _after _Shuichi was attacked by several youkai. The boy wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and ended up trespassing onto some other demon's territory. I _tried _to warn him, but he never listens to _me_." Youko snorted and rolled his eyes before returning his attention back to Botan. "So after he lost consciousness I took control and fed those presumptuous demons to my precious death plant."

Botan stared up at the beautiful youkai, a horrified expression on her face. Youko stared back at her, losing his smirk.

"Don't look at me like that," he huffed, suddenly defensive. "If it hadn't been for me, your wonderful Shuichi would be taking a dirt nap!"

"But did you have to kill --" Botan began, a frown on her face.

"Oh, _stop_," Youko interrupted, his features darkening. "That's how it works in Makai. You kill or you get killed. Have you heard of the humans 'laws of the jungle'? That's what Makai is – one big, nasty jungle. Of course I killed them. And, yes, I _enjoyed_ it." His golden eyes pinned her to the spot, slowly raking over her face, taking in her reaction.

"Tell me Botan," he continued, his voice suddenly soft, whispering like silk against her skin and sending shivers down her spine, "does knowing that I _like _killing disgust you? Does it frighten you?"

Botan's wide purple eyes locked onto the demon's molten gaze. Her mouth felt parched and she slowly licked her lips. Youko watched, smirking.

"Yes," She finally answered, her voice just as soft. "Yes."

Youko's smirk widened and he tilted his head in her direction. "An honest answer. I appreciate that, Botan-chan."

Botan's fingers inched closer to the communicator inside her obi. All she had to do was press the button and alert Koenma --

"I wouldn't do that, ferry girl," Youko spoke up, his golden eyes narrowing. Botan froze, licking her lips again nervously. The youkai held out one long fingered hand – tipped with razor sharp claws. "Give it here."

Botan gave him her most innocent look, fluttering her lashes and tilting her head to the side. "What?" She tried. Youko chuckled darkly and smirked wider, showing her his dangerously pointed teeth.

"Tsk, tsk. And we were doing so well about the honesty just a moment ago." He crooked his finger at her. "Come here and give me the communicator, Botan."

She made no move toward him, but clutched her obi in a white-knuckled grip.

Youko's teeth glinted in the dim light of the room, his voice becoming so soft she had to strain to hear it.

"Now, Botan, if you don't give me the communicator, I'm going to feel as though I can't trust you. And if I feel I can't trust you, then I'm going to have to bring my vines into this. I've been a gentleman so far, little peony, but if you force my hand then I will show you just how much of a scoundrel I can be." He held out his hand. "Now, the communicator if you please."

Squeaking, Botan leaned forward and crawled slowly toward the bed, her limbs trembling. Youko's eyes seemed to burn through her as they stayed fixed on her pale face. Finally, she reached the foot of the bed. The youkai stretched his hand out toward her, waiting. After a silent, tense moment, Botan finally reached up and slowly lay the communicator in his palm.

Youko grinned and pulled his hand back, looking down at the communicator and then back at the deity. "Good girl." He reached over, setting the communicator on the bedside table. "That wasn't so hard, hmm?"

Personally, Botan had found handing over her only source of salvation quite difficult, but decided not to say anything.

Suddenly, Youko had wrapped his hand around her wrist and was tugging her up onto the bed. Botan quickly tried to resist, gasping and trying to squirm away, but the demon was much too strong. He pulled her over the edge and up onto the mattress, right up against him with such force that they both fell back against the pillows.

Panicked, Botan thrashed. He was going to kill her, he was going to kill her, he was going to _kill _her! She wanted to scream, but her breath seamed to be trapped in her throat. She bit her lip – so hard that blood spilled onto her tongue. Clawed hands grabbed her arms, and a large, heavy, and very _warm _body rolled over her and pinned her to the bed. She shook her head, blinded by silvery hair that fell around her face like a curtain.

"Stop," Youko hissed quietly as she continued to thrash, "_Stop_. Do I have to summon my vines?"

Those words sent a chill through her and Botan let out a strangled whimper but slowly forced herself to stop moving. She panted, looking up fearfully.

Youko sat over her, straddling her waist and pinning her arms with his knees. His arms were crossed over his toned, alabaster chest and his molten eyes were staring down at her.

"That's better," He breathed. His usually pale face was slightly flushed as he gazed down at her, his arms uncrossing slowly. Botan gazed distrustfully up at him.

"Don't look at me like that," he repeated his earlier demand, but this time his voice was softer. "I'm not here to hurt you." His hands drifted toward her face and she flinched, eliciting a snort from Youko.

"We're going to have to work on your trust issues," he chuckled, his fingers brushing over her cheek and forehead before sliding into her long, blue hair.

Botan was of the opinion that the only one in the room with _issues _was the silver kitsune, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.

Youko, finding the hairband in the deity's hair a hindrance, wasted no time in shredding it with his claws. Immediately, Botan's long, unbound hair fell down against her flushed face and the pillows, making the ferry girl look even more delectable than usual. He ran his hands through it again, gently. It seemed to elict no reaction from the girl. He looked curiously down at her, only to find her staring up at him with apprehensive look on her face – as if she expected him to cut her throat at any second. He frowned, tracing his claws carefully along her scalp. The woman shivered under him and he fixed her with his golden stare.

"Does that feel good?" He asked curiously.

Botan blinked up at him. Did it feel _good_? It _felt _as if she were inches from death! "I... I guess." She murmured. The youkai frowned again, still running his fingers through her hair.

"You _guess_?" He bit, apparently frustrated. "Doesn't it feel like -- shouldn't it feel like..." He growled, his hands slipping from her hair as he crossed his arms over his chest again and stared down at the deity.

"I came here to get you back for what happened in that cell two months ago," he growled at her (_I knew it!_ Her mind screamed), "But my touch does not appear to have the same effect on you as yours did on... Hmm..." He reached down, wiping the blood off her lower lip with his thumb and then bringing it to his mouth, licking at the red liquid thoughtfully while he gazed down at the pale, frightened woman.

They stared at each other, golden eyes thoughtful and purple eyes filled with trepidation. Finally, the youkai smirked and slowly got off of her, nimbly catching her wrist before she could move away and tugging her up into a sitting a position. He grinned at her, white teeth glinting in a feral display as he held up her hand.

"What are you -- " Botan squeaked as he bowed his head, tugging her closer as he lightly lay her hand against his head, shivering as he guided her fingers along the soft fur of his left ear. Botan choked on her words, staring in disbelief at the demon who was now leaning into her hand like a attention starved house cat.

"Scratch," he purred, releasing her hand and gazing up at her with molten eyes. Hesitantly, Botan obliged, running her nails lightly along the base of his ear, right where it met his scalp. Immediately, Youko tilted his head into her hand, letting out that earth shaking purr that she remembered from before. The vibrations rumbled through her, and she quickly moved her other hand up scratch the opposite ear. Youko murmured something breathlessly, then reached out and caught the deity by her waist, dragging her closer – and right into his lap.

Botan froze, uncomfortable with her proximity to the ruthless, murdering youkai. She tried to scoot away and snatch her hands back from his head, but his fingers dug rather painfully into her hips and he looked sharply up at her through silver bangs.

"Don't stop, Botan-chan," He growled, showing her his teeth. Botan whimpered as he dragged her back against him, reaching up to quickly scratch his ears. The youkai sighed contentedly and let his head droop forward, his silver ears twitching in delight.

After a moment, she realized something... odd... Botan paused again, blinking. Youko looked sharply up at her, a growl rising in his throat. "Botan..." He warned.

"I'm sorry!" She squeaked, "It's just... um... your hair... is damp..."

Youko's eyes cleared slightly and cocked an eyebrow at her. "I was covered with blood when I arrived. I used your shower. You don't mind do you?" He smirked and tugged her closer.

Botan laughed nervously. "No, no... not at all... Um... you smell like my shampoo..."

Youko's eye twitched. "Yes... I used your shampoo, too." He tilted his head into her hand. "Scratch!" He demanded. Botan quickly went back to her task, scratching behind the youkai's ear, then running her fingers through his long, silky hair.

Youko's silver tail wagged excitedly behind him and he moaned softly, pulling the ferry girl closer, until he could feel her curves against him. He tilted his head to the side, brushing his lips against her pale neck. He felt the girl shiver in his arms and smirked. Her fingers slowed and she tensed as if about to struggle.

"Don't stop," He warned again, nuzzling down her neck, his teeth lightly grazing her skin. Botan gasped softly and trembled, unsure of what to do. Tentatively, her fingers continued to scratch at Youko's ears and the demon purred against her skin. Clawed hands left her waist, traveling up her back , then downward again to grip her hips and tug her closer until she was straddling hips. Smirking, Youko rocked the deity against him, reveling in her breathy gasp as she felt his hardness for her through her kimono.

Teeth grazed her neck this time and Botan felt a warmth begin to pool in her belly, mechanically, her fingers weaved through Youko's hair even as his warm breath against her skin sent shivers down her spine. One of his hands gripped her hips, the other cradled the small of her back as he moved her against him once more. Botan arched, biting her lip so hard that it began to bleed again.

Suddenly, Youko's mouth was on hers, his tongue softly caressing her lips, then slipping into her mouth to tease her. He tilted her back until she was laying against the pillows again, and he was over her, his body flush against her. Slowly, he ended the kiss, his eyes – hotter than ever – fixing her in place.

"Don't do that," He murmured to her, his voice husky as he reached up and gently rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. Botan, feeling warm and heady, kissed it, the fear draining from her as Youko smiled, pulling his hand away and replacing it with his mouth once again.

He rocked against her, making the deity whimper into the kiss, her hands sliding through his hair and making him groan. He sat up slowly, pulling away from her hands and grinning naughtily down at her. Botan looked up at him, her kissed bruised mouth sending a jolt of possessiveness through the youkai.

The blue-haired woman frowned up at him, confused, then blinking as she felt her kimono sliding off her shoulder. She reached up, trying to hold the fabric in place, her purple eyes suddenly darting to the kitsune, who was now holding up her obi and grinning.

"You!" Botan sputtered, trying to hold her Kimono together. "You give that back right now!"

Youko chuckled and sat back, enjoying the view of his woman trying to maintain her modesty.

"Sorry, Botan-chan," He smirked, "It had to go... And so does the rest..." He reached out, taking hold of her sleeve and tugging. Botan squeaked and tugged back, feeling the fabric slipping down her arm. Youko distracted her by then reaching down and sliding his free hand through the slit at her hips and tracing his warm fingers against her delicately rounded thigh. Botan jerked in surprise, forgetting about the kimono sleeve. Youko laughed, tugging it down and watching in triumph as the pink fabric fell away from her shoulders, baring the deity's chest and flat stomach to him.

Botan, feeling the cool air against her skin, looked up and shrieked, quickly wrapping her arms around herself and glaring balefully at the demon. Youko smirked and leaned down, kissing her again.

"Botan," He murmured against her lips, "don't hide from me... let me see you, lovely..."

She shook her head stubbornly, turning away from his kisses. Youko growled and nipped her lithe little neck in warning. "Vines," He whispered threateningly, and Botan paled, shrinking even further away. Youko followed, sighing against her skin. He loved when she cowered, but he had a feeling this would go so much more smoothly if she willingly participated. And he did _so _want to see her. All of her.

"No vines, then." He amended, kissing her collarbone. The hand against her thigh slid teasingly upward, brushing against her panties.

Botan gasped and trembled weakly, giving him an apprehensive look. "That's not fair," She murmured. Youko kissed her again, gently sucking on her bottom lip.

"I don't play fair, precious," he smirked, kissing under her chin. His hand slid further up against her panties and pushed lightly against her, eliciting a whimper from his ferry girl. She arched against his fingers and his free hand gripped her hips, keeping her against the bed, stopping her from moving closer to him.

"Let me see," he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear and making her tremble even more. Botan bit her lip and he leaned down, stopping her with another kiss. "I told you not to do that," he chided softly. The deity lost the will to refuse him, and weakly let her arms fall to the side.

Youko sat up, eying his deity appreciatively. Her skin was pale – though not as pale as his own. Right now she was flushed a slight pink color, and he leaned down to lick her shoulder, smirking when she arched against him. Her breasts were bared to him, and he moved down, taking one pink nipple into his mouth and laving it with his tongue. His deity sighed softly and reached up, tangling her fingers in his hair. Youko closed his eyes in pleasure, purring again. He pulled back a bit, smirking and kissing further down, dipping his tongue teasingly into her navel. His free hand pulled at her kimono, letting it finally fall completely to the side so he could see his intended mate in all her glory.

Botan looked down at him uncertainly, flushed, her breath coming in short, excited gasps. He grinned up at her, his hands sliding up her thighs, pushing her legs slowly apart. He kissed the inside of her thigh before gently nipping the tender flesh there, his eyes on hers. Botan whimpered, her hand still in his hair, her fingers brushing against his silver ears. He shivered, wanting nothing more than to take her hard, right at that moment, to rut with her and bite her, mark her as his own, as his territory, as a warning to all other males that this woman was claimed by Youko Kurama.

Frustrated, he ground his hips into the bed, his silver tail lashing behind him. This woman was driving him crazy! He could smell her scent – it drenched the small room and teased at his senses, awakening his mating instincts. Botan was damn lucky that Youko had such fastidious control over himself, or she would have found herself bent over the bed and being taken like a bitch in heat.

Youko growled low in his throat at the delicious mental image, then stored it away for later. Next time, he promised himself. Now that would only frighten the deity and he didn't want that. He wanted her willing, writhing, and _wanting _beneath him. Pale hands tore the ferry girl's panties away. She gasped, trying to close her legs, blushing hotly, but he refused to let her. He tilted his head closer, breathing her in, darting his warm, soft tongue out to taste...

Botan gripped the pillow with one hand, and tugged at Youko's hair with the other. She couldn't quite remember how things had gotten this far – her mind was foggy – but she knew that she couldn't stop him at his point. And she didn't want to. It felt so _good_ and she wanted _more_ and... and... When had she stopped being afraid? Shouldn't she be screaming her head off and trying to alert everyone in the palace right now?

Another stroke of Youko's tongue sent her thoughts spiraling into the abyss. Botan arched, trying to push him away and pull him closer all at once. It was too much – too much! Too good, she was too _sensitive_ -- !

The Youkai pulled slowly away, sitting up and staring down at his intended mate with eyes brighter than the sun. Botan stared back at him, her purple eyes lidded and dark. Youko unhurriedly stripped off his pants – the only clothing left that separated him from his deity. He was already hard – painfully so – and aching to join with the beautiful woman beneath him.

The demon moved over her, one clawed hand taking hers, the other holding her hips. He leaned in, his lips hovering over hers.

"Botan-chan," he purred, finally claiming what had always been rightfully his.

* * *

The sky was dusted with stars when Botan first woke, wrapped around something warm. She blinked sleepily, trying to stretch only to find herself stopped by a rather tight grip on her waist. Memories rushed back to the deity and she gazed down, cheeks flushed but a smile on her lips as she saw Youko. The demon's cheek was pressed to her stomach, his arms wrapped possessively around her hips. His ears twitched every now and again in his sleep and he snuggled closer when she tried to extract herself from his grip.

Botan sighed, laying back against the pillows and closing her eyes, stroking the youkai's silver hair until his purring lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

In the morning she woke up alone. Body sore and vision fuzzy from sleep, she tumbled out of bed and cried out when she stepped on something sharp. Pain shook the vestiges of sleep from her and the deity looked down, finding that she had stepped on a long-stemmed rose and managed to prick her heel on a thorn.

Grumbling, the ferry girl picked up the flower, finding a note tied under the bloom.

_Something to remember me by until next time._

_And there __**will **__be a next time, Botan-chan._

_Y.K._

Botan blushed, wondering why she didn't feel at all frightened by the not-so subtle promise in the note. Humming, the blue haired deity stumbled into the bathroom, smiling to herself.

The smile vanished ten minutes later when she found her panty drawer had been completely emptied – except for another long stemmed rose.

"That _jerk_!"

Botan's indignant shriek was so loud that any demon within a 100 mile radius could hear it. As it happened, Youko was the only demon in a 100 mile radius, and he heard it quite clearly.

The youkai's golden eyes sparkled mischievously, one clawed hand wrapped around a very risque pair of pink lace panties. Who knew the deity had such refined tastes?! A dark chuckle rumbled through the demon, and he raced back to Makaii.

* * *

This started out a little darker than I had intended, but I think I managed to turn it around in the end.

Oh, by the way, if you want a _hilarious _mental image... Imagine this: Youko Kurama, in the shower, singing Pocket Full Of Sunshine by Natasha Beddingfield at the top of his lungs. That was my inspiration for this chapter. _Seriously_.

And now for the real reason I write: reviews! :)


End file.
